Master sleuth Nero Wolfe’s small circle of friends is limited to his assistant, Archie Goodwin; his chef, Fritz; and Lon Cohen, the head man at the New York Gazette. Cohen knows more about the city’s power structure than any man in Manhattan, and for years, he happily passed Wolfe information in return for the odd exclusive scoop. But now Cohen needs Wolfe’s help, for the Gazette is ailing and the vultures have begun to circle.