Lord Peter Wimsey, an aristocratic amateur detective, is drawn into a perplexing double mystery alongside Inspector Parker of Scotland Yard: the discovery of a dead man in an architect's bath, wearing only pince-nez, and the simultaneous disappearance of wealthy financier Sir Reuben Levy. Their meticulous investigation uncovers inconsistencies, leading Wimsey to deduce the body in the bath is a disguised working man. As they connect clues, analyze alibis, and interview witnesses, Sir Julian Freke, a nerve specialist, emerges as a key figure, revealing Levy visited him before his disappearance. Wimsey's astute deductions eventually identify Freke, a renowned surgeon, as the culprit. Freke's complex motives stem from old jealousy and a desire to validate his scientific theories on criminal lunacy and the 'removability' of conscience. The climax involves the exhumation of a pauper's body, identified as Sir Reuben Levy, confirming Wimsey's theory. Freke's elaborate murder plot involved financial manipulation, the substitution of a vagrant's body, and a meticulous cover-up using his medical knowledge. The book concludes with Freke's arrest and a written confession, framed as a 'scientific experiment', exploring themes of psychological depth, moral philosophy, and the aftermath of war.
