Harry Sinton is suffering from amnesia after a nervous breakdown. When he reads about the death of one of his acquaintances in the newspaper he becomes convinced that he is the murderer. But he doesn't remember how he killed the man, or why. Now he must piece together the details and prove his own guilt so that he can establish his alibi before the police come knocking at his door.

A fascinating twist on the traditional detective novel by one of the great British poets of the 20th century, Fantasy and Fugue (1954) is a page-turning thriller that ratchets up the tension until the final shocking revelation.