Let me set the scene for you. It’s a foggy morning in London's Bow district. Arthur Constant, a well-liked philanthropist, doesn’t show up for work. His landlady finds him in his bed, his throat slit. The door was locked and bolted from the inside. The windows are fastened. There’s no knife. The police are baffled. Enter two men on opposite sides: the pragmatic, no-nonsense Inspector Grodman, and his idealistic former protégé, Edward Wimp, who’s now his professional rival. The investigation becomes a public spectacle, with the press fueling theories and the neighborhood buzzing with suspicion.

The Story

The plot follows the desperate hunt for a logical explanation to an impossible crime. Suspects emerge—a jealous colleague, a secretive woman, political radicals—but alibis are checked and motives seem thin. The inquest delivers a shocking verdict that rocks the public. Just when you think the game is over, Zangwill pulls the rug out from under you. The final chapters contain one of the most famous, audacious solutions in mystery fiction. I won’t spoil a thing, but trust me, it’s a stunner that makes you rethink everything you just read.

Why You Should Read It

This book is a joy because it’s so much more than a puzzle. Zangwill’s writing is witty and packed with personality. He pokes fun at detectives, the legal system, and the newspaper frenzy around big cases. Inspector Grodman is a fantastic character—world-weary, clever, and endlessly entertaining. You can feel Zangwill having fun playing with the genre he helped define. Reading it, you get the thrill of the 'impossible crime' but also a real sense of Victorian London, with all its social tensions and vivid characters.

Final Verdict

This is a must-read for any mystery fan who wants to visit the source. If you love Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, or modern locked-room puzzles, you owe it to yourself to see where a lot of those ideas started. It’s also perfect for readers who enjoy historical fiction with a sharp, satirical edge. The solution is bold, the characters are lively, and the whole thing is wrapped up in under 200 pages. It’s a quick, clever, and deeply satisfying classic that hasn’t lost its power to surprise.