On a sultry afternoon in July, a man stumbles through thick foliage, making for the coast. He wears prisoner's garb and guards are hot on his heels. Happening upon a bather's clothes, the escapee leaves the scene looking the part of the average beachcomber. But it can be hard to stay hidden forever. When a blackmailer intrudes upon the promising life of the man who now calls himself Mr. Pottermack, a violent fate befalls him, and the stakes are set: Pottermack must avoid discovery at all costs to escape the hangman's noose. When Pottermack's attempts to tamper with the evidence arouse the suspicions of the fiercely forensic Dr. Thorndyke, the cat and mouse game is afoot as we follow both detective and suspect in their battle to root out - or bury - the damning truth in this inverted-mystery classic first published in 1930.