Publisher's Synopsis
New York is in the grip of terror for the criminal known only as The Bat is stalking the streets. Robbery and murder are his trade and no-one knows his identity. Even other criminals fear him. Meanwhile, Miss Cordelia Van Gorner, an indomitable spinster has taken residence in a house in upstate New York, until recently home to a disgraced banker. It soon becomes apparent that the house hides a secret - an extremely valuable one. But despite the large number of people with various motivations in the house, is it possible that the Bat is hiding in the house? Or is the Bat someone that no-one suspects. Mary Roberts Rinehart wrote novels and plays from 1910 to 1953, but The Bat is one of the most influential. Not for the play and movie versions that it inspired, but it was the also one of the inspirations for a certain iconic character who has been around for the last 70 years or so - namely Batman himself.
