商品簡介
A roofless church stands over a deserted riverside village, while warnings and disappearances disturb the ordered life of Moncaster. Into this divide between Gothic superstition and respectable provincial society comes Eric Baker, a young civil engineer, experienced traveller and amateur detective. His search for rational answers draws him towards concealed identities, disputed family claims and criminal dealings that reach beneath appearances of propriety. Inheritance is more than a question of property here: it is bound to parentage, obligation, reputation and the uncertain claims of the past. As Eric becomes involved with Judith Bellona, romance and rivalry complicate an inquiry already crowded with mistaken identities and physical doubles. Church life, music, gossip and courtship form the social background to a mystery in which private loyalties may carry public consequences, and family secrets cannot remain safely separated from questions of justice and class. The novel moves between provincial society, a ruined village and isolated country residences, setting methodical investigation against prophecy, eavesdropping and Gothic melodrama. Homing pigeons, river and railway pursuits, threats and deception give the story its adventurous momentum, while the central mystery repeatedly tests whether evidence can prevail over fear, rumour and carefully maintained falsehoods. Its blend of amateur detection, crime conspiracy and romantic suspense creates a distinctive inheritance mystery shaped by doubles, disputed identities and the pressure of social judgement. 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.
