"Who the devil do you think you are anyway?" Mark Xavier shouted. Ellery's father took a worn black case from his pocket and snapped the lid open. Inside lay a round embossed gold shield. "Inspector Queen of the Homicide Squad, New York City Police Department", he said. "I'm sorry I didn't announce last night that I'm a copper. "Because if I had, I'm certain that Dr.John Xavier would be alive this morning. And it's too damned beautiful a morning to be dead in."

We've got to get under cover," Ellery Queen insisted. "The house is burning now.... The cellar -- where's the cellar? Lord, what unmitigated idiots! Talk, will you, somebody?"
"The cellar," they chanted obediently, fixing glassy eyes on his face.
"Behind the stairs," rasped Mrs. Xavier. Her gown was torn away from one shoulder. "Oh, hurry, hurry." She sped down the hall.
Ellery Queen, his father and an odd group of people were trapped in a mountaintop house. A raging forest fire surrounded them.
Two of their number had already perished ... by murder.
And the murderer was still in their midst!

'Mr. Queen handles his story elements-the growth of fear, the interplay of emotion, the delineation of common people helpless before an uncommon situation-equally as superbly as he does his mystery and detective elements, in the concoction and treatment of which he is a past master.'

Something a little different for the Queens, with a remote house, raging forest fire and peculiar characters. Although some typical characteristics remain as (e.g. a map is provided) some aspects illustrate the change in the Queen approach to the story. The increasing departure from the fairplay-rules of 'the Golden Age' as the final solution depends a little to much on guesswork than deduction.The characters taking some of the time away from the otherwise slightly straightforward plot and the telltale absence of the 'Challenge to the Reader'. The second time after The Tragedy of X (1931) the Queen hallmark of the 'dying clue' was introduced.

The story is set two days from N.Y. on Arrowmountain (close to the Tomohawkvalley in the Tepee mountains). Quiet accurately put at the 60th km on  the road Tuckesas to Osquewa (which was 80 km in total).The Queens are returning from holiday in Canada in the Duesenberg which plays a major role at the beginning of the story.
Dr.Xavier is poisoned.When the victim has diabetes rigor mortis sets almost immediately, EQ had encountered this once before (Egyptian Cross ?)
Often some new discoveries are featured in Queen books here a new medication is mentioned: alpha-lobeline.
Ellery remarked that the etching on the wall was etched after the 'grisly' Rembrandt painting The Anatomy Lesson.
Ellery's mother is mentioned. Not so long ago he was in Florence were he bought a ring. He still wears a lornget and smokes cigarettes.
Richard is close to sixty, uses his snuffbox and wears a cheap weddingring.