The Cask

"One of the classics of modern crime fiction." — The New York Times
While London dockworkers are struggling to unload a shipment of French wine, one of the heavy casks falls, shatters and reveals its cargo — sawdust, gold coins, and a female corpse. But by the time the police arrive, the barrel has vanished along with its macabre contents. Enter Inspector Burnley of Scotland Yard, who traces the cask to Paris, where he enlists the help of detective M. Lefarge of the Sûreté. Together, they hunt for the identity of the anonymous victim and her devious killer, traversing a maze of clues, alibis, red herrings, and lies.
This top-notch procedural, along with Agatha Christie's first novel, marked the start of the golden age of the detective story. Freeman Wills Crofts, one of the "Big Four" mystery writers of the era, provides fascinating insights into early twentieth-century methods of murder investigation as well as atmospheric glimpses of the shipping business in London and Paris in the years after World War I.

Irish-English mystery author Freeman Wills Crofts (1879–1957) was one of the "Big Four" writers of the golden age of detective fiction. After the publication of his first novel, The Cask, in 1920, he produced a book a year for nearly 30 years, including Antidote to Venom, The 12:30 from Croydon, and Inspector French's Greatest Case.

Contents
Part 1--London
1. A Strange Consignment
2. Inspector Burnley on the Track
3. The Watcher on the Wall
4. A Midnight Interview
5. Felix Tells a Story
6. The Art of Detection
7. The Cask at Last
8. The Opening of the Cask

Part 2--Paris
9. M. Le Chef de la Surete
10. Who Wrote the Letter?
11. Mm. Dupierre et Cie
12. At the Gare S. Lazare
13. The Owner of the Dress
14. M. Boirac Makes a Statement
15. The House in the AVenue de L'Alma
16. Inspector Burnely Up Against It
17. A Council of War
18. Lefarge Hunts Alone
19. The Testing of an Alibi
20. Some Damning Evidence

Part 3--London and Paris
21. A New Point of View
22. Felix Tells a Second Story
23. Clifford Gets to Work
24. Mr. Georges la Touche
25. Disappointment
26. A Clue at Last
27. La Touche's Dilemma
28. The Unravelling of the Web
29. A Dramatic Denouement
30. Conclusion