The dialogue sparkles in this golden age mystery. The dead man was a fan of acrostics and the solution to the mystery concerns the solving of an acrostic found on his body. The unraveling of this and how it featured in the death was a bit headache-inducing, but is laid out in mind-numbing detail as the Inspector explains the case to a roomful of suspects (a la Agatha Christie's Poirot.) As in many books of the era, there are maps and diagrams included, which don't particularly help except in setting the scene. The solution is fun, although rests on a tremendous amount of luck.

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