Norfolk, early autumn: at Greylake, a wealthy patriarch is found stabbed in a lakeside “Chinese Room,” the weapon taken from his own curios, the terrace door left tempting open, and suspicion settling neatly on the convenient son-in-law; but the Belgian Detective and his loyal companion notice what the house would rather keep quiet—a missing hand-delivered note, private payments no one can explain, a veiled figure by the old landing-place, and a household trained for years to mistake fear for duty—until wills, alibis, and carefully arranged impressions begin to crack under exact questions; inspired by historical crime of its era while remaining entirely fictional, The House at Greylake is an original Golden Age–style mystery of inheritance, control, and the dangerous things a family will not say aloud.