Featuring a female detective, who has disguised herself as a young man solves two tricky cases, the first dealing with the disappearance of a Mandarins long fingernails and his hair (both badges of his office, without which he would look silly). The second, more tricky case inolves treason. Both cases are resolved with the typical understated humour of Ernest Bramah. The pastiche of Western detectives (Father brown, Sherlock Holmes, and others is a literary treat that will tickle any funny-bone.