A man is found shot, and the Duke of Denver is charged with his murder. Naturally, it is his brother, Lord Peter Wimsey, who is called in to investigate the crime. This is a family affair, for the murdered man was the fiance of the sister of Denver and Wimsey. Why, then, does the Duke refuse to cooperate with the investigation? Is he really guilty, or is he covering up for someone? Why is Wimsey attacked by an enraged farmer on the lonely moors? Why is an attempt made on his life in a Soho Street?

It was a corpse, disfigured and unrecognisable. The sexton found it, and appropriately it was in the churchyard. When 'The Nine Tailors' was first published, The Sunday Times said,'It is more than a mere detective story: it is a really good novel of astonishing virtuosity.