The summer colony of Headland Harbor, Maine, seems like an idyllic retreat for artists and wealthy vacationers. But when the Varian family arrives, the coastal village becomes the stage for something far darker. A fierce argument erupts between Betty Varian and her father Frederick over her romantic involvement with a young man named Rodney Granniss. Betty runs back to the house to retrieve her camera while the family heads to a picnic. Their return brings horror: Frederick lies murdered, and Betty has vanished entirely. She was the last person seen alive, running back toward the house in anger. Where did she go? What does she know? And who in this seaside community is capable of murder? Carolyn Wells, who wrote over 170 books and created the celebrated detective Fleming Stone, builds her puzzle with the precision and wit that made her one of the most popular mystery writers of her era. Every member of the Varian household has something to hide. Every detail of that summer afternoon might be the clue that unlocks the truth. This is Golden Age mystery writing at its most entertaining: a world where family bonds hide betrayal, where a young woman's disappearance is bound up in secrets someone would kill to protect.
