Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard has talked to man who states that he saw Alan Barrington, a man wanted in connection with a murder during the famous Black Ascot race. The famous royal horserace of 1910 was in honor of the late King Edward VII at which all attending wore mourning black. He is assigned to follow the lead and capture the man. While there is no way he wants to investigate a ten-year-old crime he begins reviewing the files, checking every detail, talking with anyone associated with the case, as well as others who might have information about those involved, no matter how remote the connection..

Barrington leads him to many sources and many places but always eludes capture. Rutledge comes close to dying himself from an intruder who arrives at his door and fires a gun when he opens it. The wound is such that all believe he tried to commit suicide. Ian, himself, doesn't remember what happened and takes a leave of absence from Scotland Yard to heal. Events, however, launch him back into investigating the old crime when an apparently unconnected young man disappears.

Following many leads and his sharply honed intuition, he begins to assemble the pieces that may help him discover what happened. While I can often identify the perpetrator I could not in this case and had to wait for Rutledge to do so. This is a fascinating mystery in which Ian Rutledge is able to save the lives of two men once the truth is revealed. Good, good read.

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