An account by Philo Vance’s former attorney recounts the investigation into the strangling of a celebrated Broadway beauty whose body was found in her ransacked apartment. The detective applies analytic methods to unravel contradictory clues—footprints, fingerprints, telephone records, alibis, and a locked-room puzzle—while collaborating with police and the district attorney. The inquiry exposes the social milieu surrounding the victim and uncovers hidden motives, deceptions, and unexpected witnesses; methodical reconstruction and a concluding demonstration disclose the perpetrator and clarify the intricate sequence of events that produced the baffling crime.