It began when Professor Walter Brinkley gave a cocktail party for the newly-wed Craigs. He had no intention of mixing the ingredients for murder and mayhem at his gathering, but his party turned out to be the beginning of a nightmare that shattered the peace of quiet Westchester County. When Caroline Wilkins, the beautiful wife of a naval officer, is shot while sun-bathing, Captain Heimrich is called in to investigate and very quickly begins to amass some spectacular facts about the lovely victim. Just when he starts piecing together the puzzle, murder #2 occurs, and the captain can use all the help he can get.