"[Belloc Lowndes] brings to the making of a mystery a literary sense and an imagination that puts life into the tale and into the readers." - The Observer An enigmatic young woman named Laura Dousland stands on trial for murder, accused of poisoning her elderly husband Fordish. It seems clear that the poison was delivered in a flask of Chianti with supper, but according to the couple's servant in the witness-box, the flask disappeared the night Fordish died and all attempts to trace it have come to nothing. The jury delivers its verdict, but this is just the end of the beginning of Marie Belloc Lowndes' gripping story. First published in 1934, this exquisitely crafted novel blends the tenets of a traditional mystery with an exploration of the psychological impact of death, accusation, guilt and justice in the aftermath of murder.

The Lodger, published in 1913, is based on the Jack the Ripper murders, it is about a London family who suspects that their upstairs lodger is a mysterious killer known as 'The Avenger'. The novel was the basis for four movie adaptions. The first was the silent film version directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1927, it was followed by several remakes. The film was remade by Maurice Elvey in 1932, John Brahm in 1944, as ""Man in the Attic"" in 1953, and once again by David Ondaatje in 2009.