The Death Notice

When Madame Rosika Storey, a renowned detective, receives an anonymous phone call warning of a murder to be committed at a specific address that very morning, she is duty-bound to investigate despite suspecting a hoax. The address belongs to Aline Julian, a frivolously wealthy widow with a penchant for attracting con artists and charlatans. Upon arrival, Storey and her secretary, Miss Brickley, interrupt a séance led by the oily Professor Ram Lal, a supposed mystic who claims to read the future in a crystal ball.

Before the disgruntled guests can disperse, Ram Lal collapses and dies in the darkened room—apparently from heart failure. But Storey is certain it was murder. The other attendees—a shifty doctor specializing in poisons, a skeletal beauty culturist, and an eccentric inventor—all had motives and opportunity. As the police arrive, suspicion falls on each of them, especially when a hypodermic needle and a collection of rare toxins are discovered. But who sent the death notice, and is the true target still alive?