The main character in this novel, Anne Beddingfield, is a down on her luck plucky heroine who finds herself embroiled in an intrigue of international proportions. After her father's untimely death, she decides to search for adventure, and she certainly finds it when a man dies in front of her on a subway platform. Her natural curiosity and a cryptic note soon lead her to board a ship bound for South Africa, where the real adventure begins.

This novel is different from the formula of Christie's Poirot or Marple stories, and is much more of a straight thriller. There are mysterious young men, cases of mistaken identity, code names, and dastardly disguises. I had a fun time reading this book, but I don't think it is a very memorable story. I still vastly prefer Christie's more cerebral, detecting novels.