A Phone call for Bowman at two a.m.... A honeyed, velvet voice of invitation... A trip across town in the small hours...A grim discovery in a swanky apartment...From these tense beginnings, Hartley Howard-past-master of the suspense story-constructs a tight web of excitement, of sudden death, and of lovely women playing for high stakes in an onrushing tale that will keep you enthralled until the very last page.

Leo Ognall (1908-1979), who wrote several novels under the pseudonyms Harry Carmichael and Hartley Howard, was born in Montreal and worked as a journalist before starting his fiction career. He wrote over ninety novels before his death in 1979. Harry Carmichael's primary series, written from 1952-1978, The Piper and Quinn series included characters such as John Piper (an insurance assessor) and Quinn, a crime reporter. His other works include: The Glenn Bowman series, 1951-1979; The Philip Scott series, 1964-1967.