A Chain of Evidence by Carolyn Wells

Otis Mulford's dry, amused account turns a routine apartment hunt into the first spark of mystery, as his determined sister Laura drags him from Gramercy Park to the respectable Hammersleigh in search of comfort, status, and practicality. Their witty sparring reveals a close sibling bond and satirizes New York's obsession with the "perfect" modern home, while Otis insists that if love ever comes, it will arrive suddenly and decisively. That promise seems to stir when he notices the beautiful, proud Miss Janet Pembroke across the hall, a young woman whose tense household and muffled clashes with a tyrannical invalid great-uncle suggest hidden trouble. When Robert Pembroke suddenly dies after a frantic summons to Doctor Masterson, the case becomes deeply puzzling: there is no clear natural cause, a small key lies beside the body, and the dead man's room seems full of careful order, expensive furnishings, and suspicious clues. As Otis and Laura help the shaken household, Janet struggles to maintain composure, then confesses guilt, resentment, and fear. Her guarded honesty and the possibility of motive pull Otis into a web of suspicion, determination, and fragile trust as he resolves to find the real culprit and protect the woman he suspects is suffering under a terrible burden. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.