The story revolves around the murder of a rich merchant (Leavenworth). Suspicion falls upon the two nieces and a mysterious man. An investigator and a lawyer tackle the case.
Quite why this story was so popular is the true mystery (sorry Mr Baldwin!) I found the story a bit slow and tedious though it is undeniably well written but by the time you find out who was the murderer you have largely lost interest. It also suffers from a bit of over the top melodrama like many Victorian novels.
