'It's a world of make-believe - false names and false faces! How can I tell which one of these is playing a part?'
On the New York stage, the scene is set for what appears to be the perfect murder. Within the first act of opening night, an actor is found dead during his scene, in full view of the audience and players. Even stranger, no one recognises the murdered man.
But when all three suspects are trained in deception, figuring out which of them is the killer won't be easy... Enter Dr Basil Willing. With the help of Assistant Chief Inspector Foyle, the psychiatrist-sleuth must use his understanding of the human mind to get to the bottom of this case.
And it seems a canary and a housefly might be the only clues he needs to crack the case...
First published in 1942 this wartime msytery is perfect for fans of Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie, Seeing is Believing by John Dickson Carr, and Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh.