When a wealthy bachelor is murdered in his baroque Boston mansion, a bizarre clue holds the key to whodunnit

Martin Greenough's walled-off mansion is the last remaining holdout in the Boston parkland known as the Fenway - and the fact that it eluded condemnation by the city is a testament to the elderly bachelor's great wealth. Childless and nearing the end of his life, he surrounds himself with only his cat, his servants, and a friend, Mrs. Warden - to say nothing of the circle of extended family members whose lives he both subsidizes and rules from afar, the nieces and nephews who all seem to be more fond of Uncle Mart's money than they are of his character.

On the eve of his birthday, Greenough requests the presence of his heirs at his home, insisting that he has something important to discuss. Before that discussion can take place, though, the man is murdered in his study. In one way or another nearly everyone there would benefit...