The pedestrian Championship of the World is taking place in London, an indoor marathon lasting six days and the winner is the man who can be shown to have walked the greatest distance in that time in a style known as wobbling. Hot favourites are gentleman contender Captain Erskine Chadwick and professional athlete Charlie Darrell but when Darrell collapses,what first appears to have been cramp proves to be murder - he has been poisoned and later his trainer is also found dead. It looks like suicide but Cribb believes otherwise,suspecting Chadwick and his trainer,Charlie's wife or indeed any of the other competitors. He agrees that the marathon should be allowed to continue,providing him literally with a race against time to find the murderer.
—don @ minifie-1