The dentist was found with a blackened hole below his right temple. And a pistol lay on the floor near his out flung right hand. Later, one of his patients was found dead from a lethal dose of local anesthetic. It was a clear case of murder and suicide. But why would a dentist commit a crime in the middle of a busy day of appointments?

A shoe buckle holds the key to the mystery. Now—in the words of the rhyme—can Hercule Poirot pick up the sticks and lay them straight?

The mystery was previously published as, The Patriotic Murders, and, An Overdose of Death.