"Would it interest you to discover the identity of the man who boarded the bus at Piccadilly Circus with Lola Martinaes at about ten o'clock last Friday evening?"

A woman is found sleeping on a London bus-so deeply asleep, in fact, that she cannot be woken. After being taken to hospital, the woman dies. She is identified as Lola Martinaes, a native of Montedoro-a Central American country whose volatile politics might lead to a world war.

There is no apparent evidence of foul play in Lola's death. But the story nonetheless catches the attention of Christopher Perrin, private investigator, especially after he makes the acquaintance of Señor Vincente de Lanate, a Montedorian diplomat. Señor Vincente is certain Lola was murdered and asks Perrin to investigate. More suspicious deaths and disappearances ensue, the sinister circumstances suggesting an international conspiracy. Christopher Perrin soon finds himself playing for the highest stake of all - his life.

The Figure of Eight was originally published in 1931. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Tony Medawar.

"A complicated plot, well-developed and well-written." Times Literary Supplement