Weekend at Thrackley — Alan Melville

'I'm taking a revolver to Thrackley. You never know with blokes like Carson. I hate these harmless, potty people -- they're always up to something.'

Jim Henderson is one of six guests summoned by the mysterious Edwin Carson, a collector of precious stones, to a weekend party at his country house, Thrackley. The house is gloomy and forbidding but the party is warm and hospitable -- except for the presence of Jacobson, the sinister butler. The other guests are wealthy people draped in jewels; Jim cannot imagine why he belongs in such company.

After a weekend of adventure -- with attempted robbery and a vanishing guest -- secrets come to light and Jim unravels a mystery from his past.