The Hampstead Mystery

Scotland Yard's Detective-Inspector Chippenfield receives an anonymous, crudely written note alleging that Sir Horace Fewbanks was shot and that his body lies in the Riversbrook library. Inspector Seldon and local policemen rush to the apparently shut-up house, where servants' statements and the partly raised first-floor blind create a puzzling conflict between the reported murder and the claim that Fewbanks is away. The narrative follows the ensuing procedural investigation—searching rooms, examining contradictory clues, and interviewing household staff—as the officers work to determine whether they face a cunning hoax or a genuine homicide.