When a bride runs away from her husband, it could be just a lovers' quarrel. But when she runs straight to Henry Gamadge, you can be sure there's a crime involved. In fact, pretty Rena Austen was sure she had married a homicidal maniac. A wounded war hero, Gray Austen seemed the perfect lover when they first met. But his gloomy house, sour-faced servants, and sinister brother and sister soon turned Rena's dream married into a nightmare.

Then came the day she took an old book from the sitting room shelf. Suddenly, inexplicably, this innocent act sent her husband into a murderous rage—and within hours, the mysterious book and an unidentified corpse made Rena's marriage the basis for Gamadge's most tantalizing case.