Banker Ken Holland, encouraged by his close friend Parker, throws caution to the winds and decides to visit a hooker when his wife Ann is away, despite his conscience warning him not to, and when the hooker is murdered mysteriously in her apartment, soon gets into a muddle with gangsters, hard boiled elements, police and politicians which he is left to deal with.

Ken Holland is advised by colleague Parker to spend time with a hooker named Fay Carson as his wife Ann is away.

Fay's neighbor Mr Raphael Sweeting, a small time offender looking for a big break, always carrying a pet Pekinese dog with him, sees Ken.

O'Brien evicts the building and kidnaps Johnny with his henchmen Tux and Solly, keeping him in seclusion in a cruiser named Willow Point.

Ken learns that Johnny is in Willow Point and goes there himself to investigate without informing Adams, finding a boat with help of Rose Little, a salesgirl at the amusement arcade on the shore, on time to see O'Brien meeting Johnny there at Willow point, asking him to write a letter to Gilda saying he is going to Paris for a few days, promising him a flight to Paris for his safety, and then leaving the cruiser.

He visits her apartment but Gilda threatens him with a gun; he tells her about Johnny and Yarde, after which she gives him twenty dollars and turns him out.

Inspector Adams arrives at the apartment too and at this point it is revealed by him that the real killer is Gilda Dorman, and he has obtained enough evidence to jail her.

The book ends with Lieutenant Harry Adams promoted as Captain of police, and a now courageous and confident Ken Holland, much to Parker's surprise, picking Ann from the railway station.

Neil Baran, writing for the British newspaper Truth accused Chase of being predictable, but admitted that the book had a firm grip on the reader.

[1] Australian critic Zelie McLeod writing for The Daily Telegraph noted “a slightly moralising atmosphere” of the book and compared the last chapter to some of Shakespeare's dramas due to “a tidy little massacre of almost everyone engaged in the plot”.

[5] Several literary critics noted that the novel follows the usual Chase theme of sexual obsessions of rather weak men, dominated and lured by femmes fatales.