The rope began to hang the butcher

the long version

Gilmore Henry, lawyer and troubleshooter, whose eventful career started in C. W. Grafton's mystery, THE RAT BEGAN TO GNAW THE ROPE, runs into trouble almost before he has taken off his coat the first day in his brand new law office. Mr. George Horvath, his very first client, hands Gil a red-hot chestnut, and before he can put it down he's off on a case that involves the mysterious disappearance of David Matthews, a broken engagement, a lawsuit, and three unknown corpses in one day. Gil manages to extricate himself from the clutches of the law, catch a murderer, and patch up his own love affair, but not before he has been through more in three days than most people experience in a lifetime.