Cask

"One of the classics of modern crime fiction." — The New York Times


While London dockworkers are struggling to unload a shipment of French wine, one of the heavy casks falls, shatters and reveals its cargo — sawdust, gold coins, and a female corpse. But by the time the police arrive, the barrel has vanished along with its macabre contents. Enter Inspector Burnley of Scotland Yard, who traces the cask to Paris, where he enlists the help of detective M. Lefarge of the Sûreté. Together, they hunt for the identity of the anonymous victim and her devious killer, traversing a maze of clues, alibis, red herrings, and lies.
This top-notch procedural, along with Agatha Christie's first novel, marked the start of the golden age of the detective story. Freeman Wills Crofts, one of the "Big Four" mystery writers of the era, provides fascinating insights into early twentieth-century methods of murder investigation as well as atmospheric glimpses of the shipping business in London and Paris in the years after World War I.

„Unul dintre clasicii fictiunii criminale moderne”. - The New York Times In timp ce doctoristii din Londra se lupta sa descarce o expeditie de vin francez, una dintre butoaiele grele cade, sfarama si isi dezvaluie incarcatura - rumegus, monede de aur si un cadavru feminin. Dar, pana la sosirea politiei, butoiul a disparut impreuna cu continutul sau macabru.