Foreword

There is an idea prevalent that a detective story is rather like a big race—a number of starters—likely horses and jockeys. “You pays your money and you takes your choice!” The favourite is bycommon consent the opposite of a favourite on the race course. In other words he is likely to be acomplete outsider! Spot the least likely person to have committed the crime and in nine times outof ten your task is finished.

Since I do not want my faithful readers to fling away this book in disgust, I prefer to warn thembeforehand that this is not that kind of book. There are only four starters and any one of them,given the right circumstances, might have committed the crime. That knocks out forcibly theelement of surprise. Nevertheless there should be, I think, an equal interest attached to fourpersons, each of whom has committed murder and is capable of committing further murders. Theyare four widely divergent types, the motive¹ that drives each one of them to crime is peculiar² to thatperson, and each one would employ a different method. The deduction³ must, therefore, be entirelypsychological, but it is none the less interesting for that, because when all is said and done it is themind of the murderer that is of supreme⁴ interest.

I may say, as an additional argument in favour of this story, that it was one of Hercule Poirot’sfavourite cases. His friend, Captain Hastings, however, when Poirot described it to him,considered it very dull! I wonder with which of them my readers will agree.

 

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