The Hand in the Dark (1922) by Arthur J. Rees opens with a murder at Heredith Moat House — a young wife shot dead in her room while a houseful of guests sat at dinner below. Inspector Merrington and the eccentric investigator Colwyn must untangle a web of family secrets and hidden motives in a setting that captures the English country-house mystery at its most atmospheric.
Rees is less well known than his Golden Age contemporaries, but his plotting is careful and his sense of place is vivid. Download the free EPUB for a satisfying detective puzzle from a writer who deserves rediscovery.