A baker's dozen of cases, each putting Albert Campion through his paces. In this miscellany of villainy, our unconventional sleuth must contend with misbehaving debutantes, sinister smuggling rings, a Dowager Countess who's not all that she seems, an SOS message daubed in lipstick, a beleaguered New York socialite, and an elderly Egyptologist indulging in some bad behaviour.

Contents:
The widow --
The name on the wrapper --
The hat trick --
The question mark --
The old man in the window --
The white elephant --
The Frenchman's gloves --
The longer view --
Safe as houses --
The definite article --
The meaning of the act --
A matter of form --
The danger point.