Originally published in 1933, this twisty Golden Age mystery concerns the traditional yet secretive people of The Crescent, a cul-de-sac swirling with barely buried feuds. When Mrs. Lancaster, a bedridden mother intent on hoarding her fortune in gold bars beneath her bed, is brutally murdered, it sets off a series of mysteriously interrelated events, years' worth of stifled drama boiling to the surface. Narrated by the curious yet underinformed Louisa Hall, this thrilling Great Depression-era mystery will puzzle you at every precipitous turn. (RR)