A wealthy and unlikable real-estate developer hires Saxon to determine whether his young wife Nanette is having an affair. Saxon hates “domestic” cases, but takes this one on just in time to discover Nanette’s lover, a petroleum engineer, has been strangled with a white silk scarf. That puts Saxon right in the middle of the oil business, engaging some unsavory characters and eventually having to face an examination of his own courage.

“As Roberts matures in his writing, Saxon matures as a character in this, his most complex story to date.” (Mystery News)

Excerpt: And then I broke out in a sticky, cold sweat, and a wave of icy fear shook me right down to my shoes: Khali’s pet cobra had to be somewhere in the apartment, and I had no idea where. When I turned to move for the door, I found him. He was curled up in the middle of the room and had raised himself up so that his head was about 30 inches off the floor, quivering slightly as he nailed me with his gaze. He weaved back and forth on his elongated backbone, his hood enlarged and flattened, and he never took his eyes off me for a second. I returned the favor. I had never been so frightened in my life.

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publication Year: 1990

Pages: 230