Who is sending the British Judge Ferney those threatening letters, and who shot a bullet through his office window? Is it his resentful court usher, Reggie, whom he humiliates daily? Or the attorney who is having an affair with Ferney's wife? Or the corrupt police detective on trial in his courtroom? Or someone connected with the high priced Madam he visits monthly? And why was Reggie murdered -- was Ferney the real target?

There are plenty of motives and enough characters to tax one's memory. I did not find it easy to care about the characters, and the English slang was sometimes opaque; but the ending and solution were surprising and may have been worth wading for. ;-) However, I am not too inclined to seek another detective tale by the author. ( )