Sleuth is a masterpiece of murderous revenge, games, twists, and dilemmas. The story revolves around an aging mystery writer named Andrew Wyke and his wife's lover Milo Tindle. The setting is a country home in Wiltshire, England during the early 1900s.
It starts off with a verbal bombshell when Wyke saysI understand you want to marry my wife? to Tindle. Wyke informs Tindle that he does not love his wife and has his own.
love affair. They hatch a plan to make them both rich and happy. They decide to steal Wyke's jewelry so he can collect the insurance and Tindle can sell it on the black-market.
The plot twists when Wyke says he isn't going to let him run away with his wife and instead he is going to shoot him. He fires and the first act ends with Tindle falling backwards and passing out though the gun is loaded with blanks and Wyke is playing a mind game with him. The 2nd act starts with an inspector Doppler who tells Wyke Tindle is missing and he was last known to be going to see Wyke. The Inspector combs through the house and finds incriminating evidence, he tells Wyke he is under arrest for the murder of Milo Tindle. Then Doppler short for Doppelganger takes off his disguise to reveal himself as Milo Tindle. Wyke is amazed to see Tindle playing the game and fooling himself, but then Tindle says he has killed Wyke's lover and the police are coming. He has hidden incriminating evidence and gives Wyke a riddle to find the 3 pieces of evidence he has hidden. Wyke finds all 3 pieces and learns the whole thing was a game and Wyke's lover was helping pull it off. Tindle then goes to the bedroom to get Wyke's lover's fur coat and that she won't be coming back. Tindle also tells Wyke that he has told the real police how much of a psychopath he is. Wyke doesn't believe him and shoots him in the back with real bullets as he is leaving. In the final moments of the play the police arrive at Wyke's house as Tindle is slowly dieing of a gunshot wound.