The Clue of the New Pin by Edgar Wallace. Short summary

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Police officer Carver and journalist Tab Holland investigate the case of a millionaire murdered in a locked room. It turns out that the killer, a Chinese man named Yi Ling, entered the room through a vent.

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A cheapskate millionaire, Trensmere, is murdered. He made his fortune in China, doesn’t trust banks and keeps his wealth in a safe in the basement of his house. Killed by a shot to the head, Trensmere is in a locked room. The only key to the door lies defiantly on the table in front of the corpse.

Police officer Carver and journalist Tab Holland lead the investigation. They suspect people close to Transmere: Walters’ valet (a former thief), Lender, the murdered man’s nephew (the main heir), Transmere’s business partner Wellington Brown (revenge motives), the secretary and the Chinese Yi Ling.

The latter seems beyond suspicion. Yi Ling is rich and owns a chain of restaurants in London. But he is also the murderer. The motive is revenge. And he entered the room from an air vent.

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