The Story

A weekend house party at Lynden Sands takes a sharp turn when the host, a man named Wendover, disappears. He was last seen going into his study, a room with only one door. When his guests finally break in, the room is empty. Wendover is gone.

Chief Constable Sir Clinton Driffield arrives to find a classic locked-room mystery. There's no secret passage. The window is out of the question. So how did a man simply vanish? Driffield quickly learns that Wendover's life was complicated. There are tensions over money, a complicated will, and more than one person at the party who might have wanted him out of the way. The investigation becomes a careful process of sorting through alibis, uncovering hidden relationships, and figuring out which clue is a red herring and which one cracks the whole case wide open.

Why You Should Read It

This isn't a thriller with car chases. It's a thinking person's mystery, and that's its great strength. The joy is in the deduction. Sir Clinton Driffield is a fantastic guide—methodical, slightly sarcastic, and always two steps ahead of everyone else (including the reader, if you're like me). You get to follow his logic as he interviews suspects and examines the physical space of the crime.

Connington plays very fair. All the clues are there for you to find. I found myself constantly flipping back pages, thinking, 'Wait, he mentioned that earlier!' The solution to the locked room is genuinely clever. It’s not a gimmick; it feels practical and satisfying, the kind of trick that makes you slap your forehead when it’s revealed.

Final Verdict

If you're a fan of puzzle-box mysteries from authors like Agatha Christie or John Dickson Carr, 'Mystery at Lynden Sands' is a must-read. It’s perfect for a quiet afternoon when you want to be intellectually challenged by a plot. This book is for readers who love the 'game' of a classic detective story—where the setting is contained, the suspects are clearly lined up, and the real action happens inside the detective's (and your) head. Just be prepared to suspect everyone before the final, elegant solution is laid bare.