Ellery had a simple case. A few days of discreet snooping, some choice suggestions, and the inimitable sleuth would blithely restore local harmony to the millionaire few Dirk and Martha Lawrence. Then arrived the scarlet letters. And lastly the cryptic idea, scrawled inside a murdered guy’s blood. A straightforward case? Unless Ellery do some super-fast sleuthing, he’d possess nothing showing but an extremely scarlet face. The case will pull him around New York as he hunts for the reality.

“The old hands, in top form, this is smart stuff.”—Kirkus Testimonials (starred review)