Top notch golden age mystery, set in the Broadway district of the 1940's. McCloy's Basil Willing is a psychology consultant to the New York police and investigates when murders occurs on stage during a play in front of a full house audience. From the initial puzzle of why someone breaks into a knife-grinder's shop just to let a canary out of its cage to why none of the play's cast recognizes the actor playing a dead man (all too realistically), it's one of those books you'll skim back through to check how you missed the clues.
