This is in the public domain in Canada.

I skimmed it while very tired on an aeroplane and quite enjoyed it. The opening chapters, where we gradually learn what Mr Taynton has been up to, were cleverly done. It is a very short book, and although the mystery if what happened to Mr Mills is not particularly mysterious, the ending was also well done. ( )

Highly enjoyable, but not an awful lot of detection involved. An open and shut case. ( )

A very clever, very well written little book. The plotting is excellent, the twist not quite so unexpected but very enjoyable and easily read in a couple of sittings. The characterisation and the psychological element are well done and it still stands up to scrutiny after over 100 years - recommended! ( )

This tale of murder,blackmail and fraud begins in the genteel and refined environs of Brighton society. As the story proceeds however it becomes gradually darker,until it's final conclusion at the Lewes Assizes with a man on trial for his life.
E.F.Benson is that rare individual who writes equally well in many and various styles.He is of course well known for his Mapp & Lucia comic stories. Then there are his many Ghost stories and his other straight novels and short stories. Here we are presented with yet another facet ,that of Crime writing,and a very creditable job he makes of it too. ( )

I'd only ever read Benson's Lucia books, so this clever little detective story (with a psychological twist) was a real surprise. Mr. Taynton is an accountant who has been charged with investing the fortune of young Morris Assheton. Over the years, Taynton has "borrowed" some of Assheton's money for an investment that went wrong, resulting in a loss of £10,000 for Assheton (about which he, of course, knows nothing). As Assheton prepares to marry, Taynton and his partner, Mills, scramble and connive to cover themselves before the loss is discovered. Through a series of plot twists, Mills eventually blackmails Taynton and threatens to tell Assheton the truth. Mills is found dead and Assheton is ultimately charged with his murder, although is acquitted. It isn't until the final pages of the book that the reader learns the truth. This creepy story is cleverer than any Agatha Christie ever wrote. ( )