When Hubert Goodall, wealthy Californian estate owner, was found knifed to death in his art gallery, and a valuable Gauguin picture stolen, it would seem that someone had committed the perfect – or rather impossible – crime. For, unless all the guards were lying – and there appeared to be no collusion between them – it was impossible for anyone to have either entered or left the building at the time of the murder.
Of course, if one looked for them, there were suspects galore. Plenty of people surrounding Goodall had a motive for resentment, or worse, against him, and plenty of people seemed to behave suspiciously either before or after the crime had been committed. The job of sorting things out fell on old Mr Carmichael, one-time detective, now confined to his wheel-chair. He had a tough time piecing together the puzzle, for he was up against a most ingenious murdered, who all but succeeded in evading the consequences of this crime.
