One chapter each contributed by G.K. Chesterton, Victor L. Whitechurch, G.D.H. and M. Cole, Henry Wade, Agatha Christie, John Rhode, Milward Kennedy, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ronald A. Knox, Freeman Wills Crofts, Edgar Jepson, Clemence Dane and Anthony Berkeley ; introduction by Dorothy L. Sayers.

Introduction / by Dorothy L. Sayers -- The three pipe dreams / by G.K. Chesterton -- Corpse ahoy! / by Canon Victor L. Whitechurch -- Breaking the news / by G.D.H. and M. Cole -- Bright thoughts on tides / by Henry Wade -- Mainly conversation / by Agatha Christie -- Inspector Rudge begins to form a theory / by John Rhode -- Inspector Rudge thinks better of it / by Milward Kennedy -- Shocks for the inspector / by Dorothy L. Sayers -- Thirty-nine articles of doubt / by Ronald A. Knox -- The visitor in the night / by Freeman Wills Crofts -- The bathroom basin / by Edgar Jepson -- At the vicarage / by Clemence Dane -- Clearing up the mess / by Anthony Berkeley -- Appendix I : Solutions -- Appendix II ; Notes on mooring of boat ; Counsel's opinion on Fitzgerald's will.

"In 1931, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and ten other crime writers from the newly-formed 'Detection Club' collaborated in publishing a unique crime novel. In a literary game of consequences, each author would write one chapter, leaving G.K. Chesterton to write a typically paradoxical prologue and Anthony Berkeley to tie up all the loose ends. In addition, each of the authors provided their own solution in a sealed envelope, all of which appeared at the end of the book, with Agatha Christie's ingenious conclusion acknowledged at the time to be 'enough to make the book worth buying on its own'. The authors of this novel are: G. K. Chesterton, Canon Victor Whitechurch, G. D. H. Cole and Margaret Cole, Henry Wade, Agatha Christie, John Rhode, Milward Kennedy, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ronald Knox, Freeman Wills Crofts, Edgar Jepson, Clemence Dane and Anthony Berkeley."-- Publisher description.