The murder of Madame Bourchard had several puzzling aspects. She had been found dead in her bedroom, despite the presence of a police cordon around her hotel, as well as a Scotland Yard Inspector and Lionel Crane, the famous private detective, stationed outside her room during the previous night. The police had received information that a notorious jewel thief might try and steal a fabulous pearl in her possession. And sure enough, when they discovered her body the next morning, the pearl had been stolen, ripped free from a silver chain around her neck, which also showed bruises from strangulation. But then it was discovered that she had died from arsenic poisoning!

Midnight Murder is one of the mystery novels by Gerald Verner originally published under his pseudonym  Donald Stuart. In a new introduction specially written for this edition, the author’s son Chris Verner provides a detailed background to the works released under the Stuart by-line.