Speedy Death (1929) marks the debut of Gladys Mitchell's most enduring and eccentric creation — Mrs. Beatrice Adela Lestrange Bradley, a formidable psychoanalyst, amateur detective, and one of the most unconventional sleuths of the Golden Age of Crime. With her sharp intellect, sinister cackle, and unflinching eye for human folly, Mrs. Bradley brings a new and unsettling flavor to the traditional detective novel. The story opens at a country house gathering, where guests have assembled for an idyllic retreat. Their leisure is shattered when a guest — a famous explorer — is discovered dead in the bathtub under scandalous circumstances. What at first appears to be an accident soon reveals darker undercurrents of deceit, jealousy, and hidden passions. As suspicion falls on nearly everyone present, Mrs. Bradley begins her investigation, combining her knowledge of psychology with a ruthlessly logical mind. Her probing questions and unnerving presence unsettle the suspects, peeling back layers of respectability to expose suppressed desires and secrets. With its daring subject matter, satirical tone, and unexpected twists, Speedy Death challenged the conventions of detective fiction in its era. The novel introduced readers to a sleuth unlike any other — frightening, brilliant, and unforgettable — setting the stage for a long and celebrated series of mysteries.