One hundred years earlier, a beautiful guest had disappeared from the
wealthy Vauregard household, along with the second volume in a set of
the collected works of Byron. Improbably enough, both guest and book
seem to have reappeared, with neither having aged a day. The elderly Mr.
Vauregard is inclined to believe the young woman's story of having
vacationed on an astral plane. But his dubious niece calls in Henry
Gamadge, gentleman-sleuth, expert in rare books, and sufficiently
well-bred to avoid distressing the Vauregard sensibilities. As Gamadge
soon discovers, the household includes an aging actress with ties to a
spiritualist sect and a shy beauty with a shady (if crippled) fiance. As
always in this delightful series, Gamadge comes up trumps, but only
after careful study of the other players' cards.