Following the loss of his sight in World War I, ex-intelligence officer Duncan Maclain honed his other senses and, with the help of his two German Shepherds, became one of the most successful and well-known private investigators in New York City, picking up on the unseen clues that often slip beneath the visual surface.

The Miners Title and Trust is typically dead quiet, having gone bankrupt. Then, late one evening, the bank’s blind president, Blake Hadfield, plummets eight stories to his death in the building’s lobby. The only witnesses are the security guard and Blake’s estranged wife, who were both on the first floor. Blake’s son, Seth, is found drunk and dazed on the eighth floor, making him the prime suspect in what the police believe to be murder.

That’s when Harold Lawson and Sybella Ford call upon Captain Maclain for help. Maclain doesn’t think the banker’s death was a suicide or an accident. He believes someone else was in the building―and when more murders follow, he suspects the villain is still at large. Now, Maclain will push his powers of deduction to their limits to solve one of the strangest cases of his career…

Baynard Kendrick (1894-1977) was one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America, later named a Grand Master by the organization. After returning from military service in World War I, Kendrick wrote for pulp magazines such as Black Mask and Dime Detective under various pseudonyms before creating the Duncan Maclain character for which he is now known. The blind detective appeared in twelve novels, several short stories, and three films.

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