A beautiful socialite widow comes to Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin to ask them to investigate why a baby has been abandoned on her doorstep, in a case that all too quickly leads to murder.
A private club is the setting for murder whe n Paul Jerim, playing chess with twelve opponents, is poison ed. When her father is accused of the murder, beautiful Sall y Blount calls on gourmet detective Nero Wolfe to find the real killer.
In three cases--a millionaire who writes his own death warrant, a dog who becomes a killer's worst enemy, and an answering service which refuses to talk about a murder--three witnesses hold the solution for detective Rex Stout.
Nero Wolfe and sidekick Archie Goodwin attempt to solve three puzzling cases of murder: in one, a person's questions lead to his death; another finds a man killed in a soundproof office; and in the last, a baseball rookie is removed from the lineup through murder.
It's Christmas, and Phryne has an invitation to the Last Best party of 1928, a four-day extravaganza being held at Werribee Manor house and grounds by the Golden Twins, Isabella and Gerald Templar. She knew them in Paris, where they caused a sensation. Phryne is in two minds about going when she starts receiving threats. She promptly decides to accept the invitation - after all, no one tells Phryne what to do.
