This is the mystery novel that introduces the character of Lord Peter Wimsey, the bon vivant amateur sleuth and prototype of the British gentleman detective. Lord Peter is intrigued by the sudden appearance of a naked corpse of a freshly-shaven man in the bath of an architect friend of his mother s, and he undertakes an investigation of his own that is at odds with the conclusion already drawn by the police. A noted financier has also gone missing under strange circumstances, and as the case progresses it becomes clear to the detective that the two events are linked in some way that is not at all obvious.