Through a glass darkly

A man is dead, but it is his life that poses a mystery....

Detective-Inspector Gregory Pellew of Scotland Yard has a reputation for discretion and initiative and also for his somewhat offbeat activities. As a result, when the commander of the C.I.D. is approached by a high-ranking member of the government, he chooses Pellew to investigate the circumstances of an unusual suicide. Pellew can hardly refuse, but his job is made more difficult by an absence of information about the man - Simon Hargest, ex-chief executive of the Gargantua television network - and his life.

To find some answers, Pellew solicits the help of his old friend Humphrey Clymping, an errant viscount who happens to work at Gargantua; Humphrey's wife, Kate, a professional actress; and Humphrey's mother, the Dowager Lady Hannington. Teamed up with this motley crew, Pellew pieces together the puzzle of Hargest's last days.