First Published: 1935
Rating: Good
SPOILERS!!!
Parker Pyne is a detective who travels to Majorca on holiday. He stays at a hotel in Pollensa, and he strikes up a friendship with a mother and son, Adela and Basil Chester. Mother and son are very close. Then Adela asks Parker for his help. Basil has met a girl, Betty, who in her opinion is unsuitable, and they are engaged. Adela thinks that this will destroy Basil’s world. Parker agrees to help Adela and meets the girl. Betty says that she adores Basil but it is difficult when he is tied to his mother.
Parker travels to another town, and when he returns, he is surprised to find Adela and Betty having tea together, but Basil is nowhere to be seen. Then he appears with a very attractive woman, Dolores Ramona, and it is clear that Basil is besotted. Adela seems to have changed her opinion, and now she thinks the world of Betty. Eventually, Betty and Basil break up because she can’t stand his snubbing. Adela asks Parker to help her because Rupert can’t spoil his life to be with Miss Ramona. Parker goes and returns to say that Ramona is gone.
We discover that Parker has been helping all along. Ramona works with him, and the idea is to make Adela realise that Betty was good for Basil, and there could be worse things than the girl. Very clever.
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