The Devil’s Smile

On a stormy night, the brilliant private detective Lu Chen, acting on a mysterious email that had been delayed in delivery, set out alone for the fog-shrouded Fog-Hidden Manor. What awaited him were three bodies that had been cold for three days—the mistress of the house, Eleanor Blackwood; her husband, Richard; and their assistant, Clara—all of whom appeared to have died from poisoning. The truth, however, was far more brutal than mere murder: Richard and Clara had secretly conspired, each administering poison with the shared goal of targeting Eleanor. Clara had swapped Eleanor’s sleeping pills for digitalis; Richard had coated the inside of Eleanor’s personal bone china cup with aconitine. Yet both fell victim to the trap set by the other—Richard accidentally ingested the poison Clara had substituted, and Clara unwittingly used the cup Richard had laced with poison. Malice