As with Perry Masons, I got bogged down off and on in the routine questioning. But I enjoyed the story and writing.
For example: "Then how did you come to stay so long?" "I could barely say, sir. I just wasn't in a hurry. When you've no job you get into the way of spending as much time everywhere as you can."
But my favorite: "On the stock exchange, you can put an exact money value on fear: about the only way in the world it can be done." ( )

A most ingenious murder mystery; I was beginning to doubt that it would ever be solved as the chief suspects were eliminated one by one. Good grief!

Crofts' detective is one Inspector French, who in his 13th case (chronologically), is called in to investigate the theft of a rather large amount of diamonds which serve as the main assets of Nornes, Limited, a jewelry firm in London. Set in the 1930s, the company is on the verge of declaring bankruptcy, unless they can come to some sort of plan for reorganizing their company. The director, Mr. Nornes, decides that the top people should meet at his country place at Guildford, where they can spend a weekend comfortably trying to figure out what to do. But one of the men dies in the night; it is after the death that the theft of the jewels is discovered. So while there are two cases, Inspector French is called upon to solve the theft of the jewels and realizes that it is clearly linked to the death at Guildford.

Vintage crime is one of my passions, especially British, so I rather enjoyed this one and can recommended it to others who share an interest in this genre of mystery. ( )