A waiter at Rusterman's Restaurant turns up at Wolfe's front door late one night, claiming that a man is going to kill him.

Shortly after Archie puts him in one of the spare bedrooms, the waiter dies when a bomb planted in his coat pocket explodes.

Wolfe, outraged at the thought of such a violent act taking place in his own house, resolves to find the murderer without sharing any information with Inspector Cramer.

Soon Wolfe and Archie find themselves investigating two additional murders: the earlier killing of a customer at Rusterman's, and the subsequent death of the waiter's daughter.

Powers gave the book a favorable review, indicating that "even veteran aficionados will be hypnotized by this witty, complex mystery.