Owen, a Melbourne-based journalist, was noted by reviewers for his detailed knowledge of police procedures and skillful narrative construction.

[3] The story unfolds at a Victorian mountain hotel during a fancy-dress ball, where wealthy pastoralist Henry Tracey is found murdered.

Initial suspicions fall on Tracey's daughter and her lover, owing to the victim's opposition to their marriage.

The daughter is eventually found guilty, leading to unexpected plot twists.

[4] In 1921, Raymond Longford and Lottie Lyell adapted the novel into the silent film The Blue Mountains Mystery.