It's been a cold, lonely winter for Cora Felton in her 16th mystery (following NYPD Puzzle). Long distance has cooled the Puzzle Lady's on-again, off-again affair with Sergeant Crowley, and the only case that Chief Harper has for her to investigate is a routine liquor store robbery. When attorney friend Becky Baldwin asks her to check out whether Brittney Wells's philandering husband is planning to kill her to collect on an insurance policy, Cora jumps at the chance—but convincing Brittany of the evidence is another matter. Then a car bomb rocks the quiet streets of Bakerhaven, and the stakes escalate to murder. Once again, clues to the mystery are found in the form of crossword puzzles (by Fred Piscop) and Sudoku (by Will Shortz).

"In this delightful comic mystery, the merging of the puzzle of the crime with the allusions to the movie Double Indemnity and Cora's convoluted conversations engages to the end."—Booklist