Arrogant author Charles Childress's was shot in the head, and his were the only fingerprints on the gun. His friends don't believe it was suicide. With the help of his indefatigable assistant, Archie Goodwin, Nero Wolfe takes a look at those closest to the arrogant, argumentative author, hoping to decide which of Childress's associates merely hated him and which would have been willing to kill.