Old Vandeveer is an odd client for the famous Jesse Falkenstein; dressed head to toe in shabby clothes it seems like he can hardly afford Jesse's standard fee to draw up a will. But when he and his wife are murdered a few weeks later, Falkenstein is launched on an intricate search for a fortune the old man has hidden away.The miser's long-suffering daughter is the immediate suspect, but in an effort to clear her name, Jesse discovers a tale of sharp business deals, blackmail, pornography, a questionable legal marriage and murder.'My favourite American crime-writer' "New York Herald Tribune"