La ténébreuse affaire de Green-Park

A meticulous gentleman‑detective narrates his own method, insisting that true investigation demands a personal system rather than the rigid procedures of official police. He paints a vivid picture of his upbringing in the Australian outback and his belief that memory and order are the detective’s greatest tools. From the outset, the tone is intellectual and slightly ironic, promising a puzzle that will test both logic and character.

The story opens on a warm July afternoon in Broad‑West, where the detective hosts a small circle of friends for a card game called “scouring.” Their leisurely round is abruptly interrupted by a knock that sets the “Green‑Park affair” in motion, and the detective departs, promising to return in exactly ten minutes. That brief pause marks the catalyst for a tangled mystery that will unfold through careful observation and the narrator’s idiosyncratic reasoning.