Blow Hot Blow Cold — Ellery Queen

A summertime slaying sets a suburban housewife on the hunt for a killer

On a scorching summer afternoon, Nancy Howell bakes in the sun, hoping her neighbor will invite her inside. Lila has central air conditioning -- a priceless luxury this time of year -- and while Nancy doesn't think much of her notoriously promiscuous neighbor, she would do anything to cool down. Sadly, Lila doesn't step outside. She never will again. After more than a day without seeing her neighbor, Nancy finally goes next door and finds Lila sprawled across her bed, a knife buried deep in her chest.
 
When Lila's cuckolded husband is also found dead, the police label it a tragic murder-suicide -- but Nancy isn't convinced. In this gin-soaked patch of suburbia, adultery is a way of life and jealousy isn't reason enough for a husband to kill. As the mercury inevitably rises, so will the body count.