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In the past, Nero Wolfe turned down a request from Mrs. Jervis Horrix to act as a private detective at a party. Today, however, she has a far more serious reason to seek his services: someone is actively trying to ruin her party-planning business. Is the harassment tied to one of her events or a disgruntled client?
A woman suspected of sending the disturbing letters soon arrives at Wolfe’s office. Miss Nickols seems to have something to hide, and she immediately clashes with Wolfe’s resident chef, Fritz. As the investigation widens, the blackmail scheme deepens when Dr. Brady and Mrs. Horrix’s brother are implicated in a scandal surrounding a death from tetanus complications—not to mention the unexpected appearance of a pet orangutan.
The bizarre web of clues seems to flummox even the great Nero Wolfe, leading him to question if it is time to drop the case entirely. Unfortunately, any thought of walking away vanishes when his client dies from tetanus. When Inspector Cramer arrives at the office suspecting murder, a remark from the brother gives Archie Goodwin an important new angle.
The case suddenly erupts anew when Cramer accuses Wolfe of withholding evidence. Enraged by the police accusations, Wolfe leaves no clue uninvestigated, tracking down the source of the tainted iodine used to bandage a cut. Wolfe and Archie find themselves in a desperate race against time to unmask a killer before anyone else falls victim—leading up to the customary dramatic reveal in Wolfe’s office to air all the dirty laundry.
