The country doctor takes his sleuthing into the spiritual realm when otherworldly goings-on strike close to home in this classic Golden Age mystery. Summer finds Dr. Hugh Westlake taking over another doctor's patients and living in his house. His next-door neighbors are a wealthy and influential family in the community, including leading investment banker Bruce Bannister. And soon, Hugh is drawn into quite the family drama . . . A nurse has joined the Bannisters to take care of the ailing Bruce. Not only is she the niece of his late first wife, but she's a psychic to boot. When one of her séances leads to Bruce's death, it's by a most unnatural cause: poison, pointing to either suicide or murder. As Hugh investigates this bizarre mystery, another one soon unfolds. He's attacked by someone outside of their house in a thoroughly macabre manner: his neck is bitten. Now Hugh has to resurrect ghosts from the family's past to uncover the truth about a potential murderer, a possible vampire, and a snake in the grass . . . "Spiritualism and a maniac provide high scented red herrings. Suspense well-handled and solution satisfactory." — Kirkus Reviews
