"As you seem to be indicating a spot of murder—well—let's have the facts."

Major Daniel Wyatt gathers a group of six people together in the back room of a London restaurant. All are acquainted with André de Ravenac – a known blackmailer, but most probably also a serial murderer. He is currently threatening to destroy the life of a woman they all care for. Hence a plan is hatched to assassinate De Ravenac at a masked ball – and once all of the men agree, lots are drawn. Each is assigned a random role in the plan – as they are all of roughly the same build and will be wearing masks, nobody will know which of them is the man who carries out the fatal blow . . .

The Orange Axe, the ninth Anthony Bathurst mystery, was originally published in 1931. This new edition includes an introduction by crime fiction historian Steve Barge.