The Clue of the Twisted Candle

John Lexman writes murder mysteries for a living, so it is a bitter irony when he is convicted of a real killing and sent to prison. Behind his troubles stands Remington Kara, a wealthy and charming Greek whose cruelty runs deep beneath the surface. When Kara himself is later found shot dead inside a locked, stifling room, T. X. Meredith of Scotland Yard must work out how a murderer entered and left with no way in or out. Wallace threads the plot with blackmail, revenge, and a guttering twisted candle that holds the answer. First published in 1916, it ranks among his cleverest early puzzles and moves at the pace his readers came to expect. Free to read as a PDF and EPUB edition.