Third in the Henry Gamadge series. One hundred years earlier, a beautiful guest had disappeared from the wealthy Vauregard household, along with the second volume of the collected works of Byron. Improbably, both guest and book seem to have reappeared, neither having aged a day. The elderly Mr. Vauregard is inclined to believe the young woman's story of having vacationed on an astral plane. But his dubious niece calls in Henry Gamadge, gentleman-sleuth, expert in rare books, and sufficiently well-bred to avoid distressing the delicate Vauregard sensibilities. As Gamadge discovers, the household includes an aging actress with ties to a spiritualist sect and a shy beauty with a shady fiancé.
Third in the Henry Gamadge series. One hundred years earlier, a beautiful guest had disappeared from the wealthy Vauregard household, along with the second volume of the collected works of Byron. Improbably, both guest and book seem to have reappeared, neither having aged a day. The elderly Mr. Vauregard is inclined to believe the young woman's story of having vacationed on an astral plane. But his dubious niece calls in Henry Gamadge, gentleman-sleuth, expert in rare books, and sufficiently well-bred to avoid distressing the delicate Vauregard sensibilities. As Gamadge discovers, the household includes an aging actress with ties to a spiritualist sect and a shy beauty with a shady fiancé.