Kriminalroman. En rig enke forsvinder fra sit hjem i Californien, og privatdetektiven KInsey Millhone, der har påtaget sig sagen, opdager snart, at den har forbindelse med en tidligere mordbrand i naboejendommen
"Chief Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis went into the house. Inside the sitting-room, the light was still switched on and a gas fire was burning. The dead body of a young man was lying on the carpet, in front of the fire. Near the body, on a small table, stood a bottle of sherry and a wine glass. The bottle was almost full, the glass was almost empty. Morse smelt the sherry which was left in the glass. 'This smells like cyanide, Lewis,' he said. 'This man was probably poisoned.' " -- Cover.