Leading industrialist and donor to the Conservative Party, Ralph Manningham, forced his father into early retirement so that he could take over the family business. Many years later, he is discovered dead at his home, the spilled bottle of pills on his desk a clear suggestion of suicide.

The news of Ralph's death causes a stir within his political circles; influential figures are worried that a potential scandal will engulf them. Inspector Max Bellamy's task is to pick up the pieces, but as events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that Ralph's apparent suicide is not as it seems.

Who has the motive to want Ralph dead?

In this perplexing and challenging 'whodunnit', will Inspector Bellamy succeed in solving the case, or will the shadows of deception prevail?