After a fire, the wealthy landowner Patrice Lafarge is found dead and alone in his bedroom that has been locked from the inside. Police Inspector Rimbaud reviews the case and counts on the help of his sharp-witted Aunt Emilie. What at first appears to be an accidental death is after the autopsy declared to be a homicide. One of the children at home on Clos Saint-Jacques to celebrate Patrice Lafarge's 75th birthday over a May weekend has to be the murderer – but who among them killed him, how was the murder committed and for what reason?
"This clever 'whodunit' set in 1935 France introduces a winning pair of sleuths, Inspector Jean-Claude Rimbaud and his savvy aunt Emilie Beauchamp, who probe the death – behind a locked door – of Patrice Lafarge, whose heirs had gathered at his country estate to learn of a change to his will. As in many Golden Age puzzle mysteries, the plot is the key … Readers who enjoy pitting their wits against that of the author will find themselves satisfied by the surprising solution!" – The BookLife Prize in Fiction