Having been a train guard for many years, Robert Potter has become adept at dealing with difficult passengers. But even he is not prepared for the startling situation that confronts him on the 11.45 from London. Attending to a pulled communication cord just outside Westingborough, he discovers a stark naked young gentleman, Leo Thane, who claims to have been the victim of a very comprehensive robbery. More horrifying, however, is the mutilated corpse in the compartment next door. As Superintendent Wadden remarks to Inspector Head, not only has the murder rate in Westingborough risen of late, but criminals have apparently started sending new cases by train...

Originally published in 1939, this is a vintage murder mystery from the golden age of detection.