
A seasoned gumshoe with a flair for sarcasm wakes up to find the brakes on his car mysteriously drained, a gas stove igniting while he naps, and a ladder suddenly giving way—all while he’s at home. The clues point to a very personal saboteur, and the detective’s instincts tell him this isn’t just another street‑level hit. With dry humor and a weary confidence earned from two decades on the case, he begins to piece together a pattern that suggests his own wife and teenage son might be orchestrating the danger.
The story unfolds in a single, tension‑filled morning as he confronts his family, questioning whether these “accidents” are truly random or part of a deeper, domestic conspiracy. As the detective’s sharp mind races, the listener is drawn into a blend of classic noir wit and suburban intrigue, wondering just how far a private eye will go to protect himself from those closest to him.
Language
en
Duration
~27 minutes (26K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: Greenleaf Publishing Company, 1955.
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2021-11-13
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1928–2008
Best known for fast-moving crime and science fiction, this versatile American writer published under several names and built a career that ranged from pulp magazines to acclaimed historical novels. His work includes the detective Chet Drum series and the prizewinning novel The Memoirs of Christopher Columbus.
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