This short novella, about 60 pages, is an introduction to British ministry civil servant, Mr. Quayle, in his first adventure. It sets the stage for the novel to follow, A Most Efficient Murder, providing the history on how he comes to work as a private secretary for Lord Unsworth and unwittingly embark on a career as an amateur detective.

I completely enjoyed this novella, as I did with the novel mentioned earlier. As a reader fixated on British murder mysteries and detectives from all eras, it shines through that Mr. Slayton is a connoisseur of the British detective story. He gets all the subtle details right, down to the Poirot-esque unveiling of the culprit!

Sincere thanks to the author for providing me with a copy to enjoy. I will be looking for more stories about Mr. Quayle.