Confusion of identities forms the central motivation of this new Miss Silver story -- as sheer coincidence thrusts the little gray haired spinster into a task the police are shirking, -- that of proving whether or not Lady Anne Jocelyn has returned from supposed death to life that upsets a good many apple carts. Is it Lady Anne or her cousin, Annie Joyce? Is she a secret agent for Germany?... Good suspense even to the point of thoroughly confusing the reader for most of the book.