Stenographer Sheila Webb expects to find a Miss Pebmarsh waiting for her services at 19, Wilbraham Crescent. Instead, she finds a room containing an unusual number of clocks - and the body of a man ... When Miss Pebmarsh denies sending for her in the first place and declares that of the six clocks found, only two belong to her, it's clear they are going to need a very good detective. 'This crime is so complicated that it must be quite simple, ' declares Hercule Poirot. But there's a murderer on the loose, and time is ticking away.