Gisela von Hohenems joins the teaching staff of an exclusive girls' school in upstate New York, where she befriends fellow newcomer Faustina Coyle. But a climate of fear surrounds Faustina, and after several strange incidents which defy rational explanation, she is forced to resign. Gisela asks her fiance, detective-psychologist Dr Basil Willing, to investigate. A puzzle in the supernatural tradition of John Dickson Carr, Through a Glass, Darkly is one of McCloy's most widely admired novels. US mystery writer Helen McCloy (1904-94) was the first woman to serve as president of Mystery Writers of America. In addition to her Basil Willing series of 13 novels, she wrote a further 16 mysteries. She is widely regarded as one of the best detective writers to have come out of the United States. Elegantly written and plotted, her stories are enjoyable as well as satisfying.