In this chilling classic British mystery thriller, a Scotland Yard inspector and his sister search for her missing fianc in a city of vanishing people.

Petty con man Alfred Routh thinks a place like Milton Manor outside Oxford will have something nice to steal. When he learns what is inside, however, he is desperate to steal away with his life...

Meanwhile, Sir John Appleby from Scotland Yard is headed to Oxford to help his sister Jane. Her fianc, a war hero and promising academic, has gone missing and many are concerned for his safety. But he's not the only recent disappearance in the area.

As Appleby's investigation begins, things only get more bizarre. The trail of clues leads him and Jane through the city of Oxford to the grounds of Milton Manor and the terrifying secrets within...

Originally published as The Paper Thunderbolt.

Praise for Michael Innes and Inspector Appleby

"The author's ingenuity and wit are seemingly endless." -The Daily Telegraph

"Altogether a brilliant piece of work." -Birmingham Post

"Innes is in a class by himself when it comes to detective fiction." -The Times Literary Supplement