When Jacob Herapath, an MP and well-known businessman, is found murdered in his office, the time of death is placed at midnight. However, his driver had left him at his home an hour earlier. With the addition of an allegedly forged will and two unpleasant characters both of whom have an eye on the inheritance, the mystery deepens. A group of Herapath's friends, together with a young newspaper reporter, set out to solve the mystery. J S Fletcher was one of the leading authors of detective fiction in the 'Golden Age'.