Murder in the Gilded Cage

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

77069

Title

Murder in the Gilded Cage

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In a tale of greed and deception, a wealthy widow's murder unravels a web of blackmail, forgery, and mechanical murder. As suspicion falls on her fiancé and business adviser, a mysterious Russian detective exposes a series of calculated crimes, revealing how ambition and malice destroy lives within a gilded cage.

Summary up to 500 words

In Samuel Spewack's *Murder in the Gilded Cage*, a gripping mystery unfolds aboard a yacht during a violent storm, centering on the sudden, silent death of Mrs. Breese. Initial suspicion falls on Thomas, the household servant and the Countess's sweetheart, who is accused by wealthy business adviser Gordon Rice of forging a check to fund an escape to Europe with a chorus girl. Rice claims Thomas murdered Mrs. Breese to silence her after she discovered the forgery. However, the investigation takes a dark turn when the yacht is sabotaged: the wireless is smashed, lifeboats are lost, and the engines fail, trapping the family in a terrifying storm. A Russian detective, Perutkin, arrives to solve the case. Through careful deduction, he reveals that Rice orchestrated the murder using a mechanical device rigged to the ship's radio. Rice, driven by greed and a desire to control Mrs. Breese's fortune and her upcoming marriage, hired a mechanic named Trenholm to build a silent revolver trap. The device was set to fire automatically when Mrs. Breese tuned her radio to a specific frequency. When Trenholm threatened to expose Rice, Rice murdered him. Rice then attempted to silence a second mechanic, Spence, who had learned of the plot. The story culminates in a dramatic confrontation where Rice attempts to escape but is shot by the detective. Perutkin explains the complex mechanics of the crime, highlighting Rice's descent into three murders to protect his ill-gotten gains. The novel explores themes of class, ambition, and the fragility of justice, ending with the villain's demise and the detective's satisfaction in solving the intricate puzzle. The narrative shifts from a domestic mystery to a high-seas thriller, emphasizing the danger of unchecked ambition and the ease with which a wealthy individual can manipulate circumstances to commit a perfect crime, only to be undone by his own hubris.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Fiction
• Mystery