Meet Lord Henry Carlisle: gentleman, wastrel, and mystery-novel lover. When his mother telephones him on a May evening to tell him they've just discovered a body in the glass-house, Hal does what he loves to do: he goes to investigate. As it happens, the local constabulary, headed by an unusually well-spoken, well-educated fellow named Sayers, is already on the case, and Sayers is a bit of a mystery all on his own. When the constabulary finally identifies the victim in the glass-house, Hal realizes this is not just an academic exercise in logic and justice; it's a personal and family matter.