The mystery begins when Ada Ricard is kidnapped during a grand party at her house on East Twenty-Third Street. When a body is discovered, a wax effigy is made by the police for the purposes of identification,and this is soon recognised by Ada's ex-husband James Gobson. Soon, Gobson himself is in the dock, accused of Ada's murder. An astonishing intervention appears to clear up the mystery, but the detective William Dow is not convinced. Who were the mysterious men in Native American dress who kidnapped Ada? And why did those closest to the dead woman have such trouble identifying the corpse? Originally published in French in 1883, this is an ingenious murder mystery full of satisfying twists.