商品簡介
A bouquet delivered to an opera singer conceals a dynamite cartridge; among the fatal flowers lies the deeper puzzle of a naturally produced black carnation. From this arresting premise unfolds a murder investigation shaped by contradictory testimony, romantic jealousy and the perilous force of social reputation. In London, suspicion gathers around an accused man while evidence, appearances and competing explanations refuse to align. Major Granby, an elderly former army officer and devoted opera enthusiast, recounts the inquiry in an engaging conversational voice. Neither police officer nor lawyer, he approaches the crime as an amateur detective, testing observations against rival possibilities and repeatedly revising his conclusions. His numbered, shifting theories give the narrative a distinctive structure, allowing each new statement or discovery to alter the balance between certainty and doubt without surrendering the mystery too soon. Courtroom proceedings and professional detection bring formal pressures to Granby's independent search, while surveillance, questioning and evidence-gathering expose the distance between what can be suspected and what can be proved. The novel combines crime fiction with legal drama, romantic melodrama and Gothic elements, using deception and rivalry to complicate the pursuit of justice. Its focus remains not only on who committed the murder, but on how testimony is weighed, reputations are endangered and persuasive theories can be overturned. This book was out of print for decades and is now republished by Alpha Editions. It has been restored for today's and future generations. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure.
