Society swell and dilettante detective Philo Vance investigates a number of murders, beginning with the apparent suicide of a jockey during a "gentleman's race", which is followed by the sudden collapse of his father, Dr. Garden, supposedly from the shock of his son's death.

At the end of his investigation, however, all the clues point to the man calling himself "Major Fenwicke-Ralston", who is in reality a hypnotist, fakir, and charlatan.

[2] On Allmovie, Craig Butler wrote that "Although filmed on a budget, production values are decent, with some especially noteworthy art deco settings" but calls Edwin L. Marin's direction "rather pedestrian".

Edmund Lowe's performance as Philo Vance "bring[s] his personal style to the role and giv[es] it a small twist here and there that adds fun without violating the character's inner nature.

"[3] Turner Classic Movies comments that Lowe was "well past his leading man heyday and ten years older than Philo Vance's stated age.