Actually read the Kobo ebook version (not the pb listed)
An omnibus volume, collecting three novellas available separately. I'd read at least one of those before (and the middle section here seemed initially familiar though I didn't remember the end and cannot have read the second novella entirely) so it is good to have the complete story in one package. It's a fast-paced and world-spanning narrative, moving from London to America, the Caribbean and Antarctica. The complex mystery at the heart of the story begins with a murder and develops from there into a potentially world-shattering plot. The cast of characters is headed by an elderly lady, a cross between Miss Marple and Madame Arcati - and there is a delightful progression of a governmental department from Dickens' 'Little Dorrit'). To say more would be to spoil the enjoyment of reading this collection though it should perhaps be noted that it is genuinely funny as well as engaging.