The nineteenth Nero Wolfe novel by Rex Stout, published in 1956.
Omaha businessman James R. Herold hires Wolfe to find his son Paul, who left for New York after being accused of theft; Herold has discovered that Paul was innocent and wishes to reestablish him as a member of the family. Suspecting Paul has taken an alias but kept his initials, Wolfe inserts an advertisment in the paper assuring "P.H." of his innocence. The ad attracts the attention of attorney Albert Freyer, representing one Peter Hays on a murder charge; although initially dismissive of a photograph's resemblance, Wolfe and Archie reconsider. At the courthouse, Archie sees Hays for the first time and concludes he is Paul Herold; unfortunately, he reaches this conclusion at the moment Hays is declared guilty of slaying Michael M. Molloy. With an imprisoned son an unsatisfactory result for Wolfe, he resolves to find the murderer. Along the way, he must face the loss of someone he has known for years, while Molloy's murderer, facing exposure, attacks again and again in an attempt to eliminate all who can reveal the truth.
Tropes in this work: (Tropes relating to the series as a whole, or to the characters in general can be found on Nero Wolfe and its subpages.)
- Anyone Can Die: Johnny Keems is struck down by a hit-and-run driver halfway through the book.
- Broken Pedestal: Delia Brandt's fiance William Lesser is deeply upset when Wolfe's summation reveals that she was almost certainly both a blackmailer and Molloy's mistress.
- Contrived Coincidence: Wolfe is hired to find the prodigal son of a businessman (long ago accused of theft) and tell him his innocence has been proven, only to find said son on trial for another crime (murder) for which he is also innocent of.
- Crime After Crime: Patrick Degan kills Johnny Keems, Ella Reyes, and Delia Brandt, all to cover up his murder of Michael M. Molloy, tying Murder by the Book's killer with four homicides on the resume.
- Crusading Lawyer: Peter's lawyer Albert Freyer is a determined and intelligent advocate for his innocent client even though Peter doesn't have enough money to adequately pay him.
- Hates Their Parent: Peter resents his father for bullying him and refusing to believe he was innocent of embezzlement. He has a Heroic BSoD at the very thought of seeing his father face to face again.
- Sexy Secretary: Delia Brandt has the looks, though Archie dislikes her once she starts sipping gin and ginger ale.
- Victoria's Secret Compartment: Delia Brandt hides the telltale locker key by taping it between her breasts. Archie and Saul have to strip her corpse to find it.
