Puss in Boots — Ed McBain

Prudence Ann Markham was as careful as her name. Before heading out to her car in the deserted parking lot she packed up the film she'd been editing, checked the studio gear, set the alarm, and locked the outer door. It was 10:40 P.M.--but Prudence Ann never made it to 10:45.

Carlton Barnaby Markham didn't know what his wife had been working on at the time of her death. All he knew was that the film was missing ... and that he was in Calusa County Jail, charged with her murder.

For Matthew Hope, the months since he'd decided to switch to criminal law had not been encouraging. He'd lost his first case and refused his second. When Carlton Markham says he is innocent, Hope takes the case. But as he digs into the evidence, it becomes clear that it will take more than claims of innocence to spring his client...