The author turns up the suspense, the sleuths turn up the clues, and crooks end up dead all while Moriartys specter hovers. Anything but elementary, this clever thriller is sure to please Sherlock fans. People

A brilliantly inventive murder mystery by the author of theNew York TimesbestsellerThe Word Is Murder.

You shouldnt be here. Its too late . . .

These, heard over the phone, were the last recorded words of successful celebrity-divorce lawyer Richard Pryce, found bludgeoned to death in his bachelor pad with a bottle of winea 1982 Chateau Lafite worth 3,000, to be precise.

Odd, considering he didnt drink. Why this bottle? And why those words? And why was a three-digit number painted on the wall by the killer? And, most importantly, which of the mans many, many enemies did the deed?

Baffled, the police are forced to bring in Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, the author Anthony, whos really getting rather good at this murder investigation business.

But as Hawthorne takes on the case with characteristic relish, it becomes clear that he, too, has secrets to hide. As our reluctant narrator becomes ever more embroiled in the case, he realizes that these secrets must be exposedeven at the risk of death . . .