A case of industrial theft (papers valuable for national defense) stymies young George Annesley, working for his uncle, Sir Victor Grahame of Scotland Yard. George's fortuitous inheritance of an unprofitable estate in the Midlands offers a chance to keep all of his suspects within view for observation-but a strange death derails his investigation. The local constabulary considers him as much a subject of interest as any of the others, so he must rapidly find the actual killer to prevent another tragedy and keep himself in the clear. This slow-burn narrative leads to an exciting conclusion.

Francis Everton was the pseudonym for Francis William Stokes (1883-1956), an engineer who spent many years in management for various engineering firms. (His engineering background well informs details in this novel.)

Stokes wrote six mysteries under this pseudonym. Murder Through the Window (Murder at Plenders in the UK) was published in 1930.