"The Deep Lake Mystery" by Carolyn Wells is a mystery novel written in the late 1920s. The story unfolds around the unexpected death of Sampson Tracy, whose peculiar demise sets the stage for a complex investigation involving a variety of intriguing characters. The narrative is primarily relayed through the experiences of Keeley Moore, a detective, and his friend, who finds himself drawn into the dark, enigmatic atmosphere surrounding the Tracy household and its eccentric residents. At the start of the novel, the main character recounts his chilling discovery of Sampson Tracy's body, surrounded by bizarre items such as a feather duster and flowers, setting off a chain of events that lead him to Deep Lake. After an invitation from his detective friend Keeley Moore, the protagonist visits the Moores' tranquil summer home, only to be thrust into a web of secrets as they soon learn of Tracy's strange death—initially deemed to be a stroke, but with hints of foul play. As the two friends begin to unravel the hidden dynamics between Tracy, his fiancée Katherine Dallas, and various other individuals with dubious motives, the scenic lake setting quickly becomes a backdrop for a gripping mystery that straddles both societal intrigue and themes of familial loyalty. (This is an automatically generated summary.)