The Beast Must Die (1952)

Jorge Rattery has just been murdered, he dying in his home in front of many of his family and associates. The suspected method of murder was the poisoning of his medication, the bottle of which had gone missing right after he died before Inspector Blount with the police arrived. Almost everyone close to Jorge in the house at the time could have killed him.

Jorge's sister-in-law, actress Linda Lawson, admits that she hated him and wanted to kill him, even though she states she didn't. Jorge's wife, Violeta Rattery, and her preteen son from her first marriage, Ronnie Hershey, also would probably admit that they hated him but had never thought about killing him. The Carpaxes - Jorge's business partner and his wife, Rhoda - state they would have had no reason to kill him in liking him, although they are accused of hating him as much as anyone. And Jorge's mother, the only person who seems to be grieving, blames anyone and everyone in they not being devoted to him like her. But the unusual person involved is successful murder mystery novelist Felix Lane who was at the house as Linda's guest. He ended up telephoning lawyer Nigel Strangeways to engage his services in this matter as he would have been at the top of the suspect list as he had written in the diary he kept with him his intention to murder Jorge, that is until Jorge got his hands on the diary and had it forwarded to his own lawyers after which he banished Felix from the property. His intention to murder Jorge was all in an act of revenge, the plot which he could carry out under that pen name of Felix Lane, and not his "real" identity of widowed scientist Frank Carter which is associated to what Jorge did to him. What plays out in flashback is that plan by Felix and how it is connected to Jorge's actual murder.