In December 1906, Harry follows his roving wife to Washington for a reunion with the formidable Countess von Schnurrenberger und Kesselheim. There he finds himself entangled in a mystery involving an erotic novel, a meat cleaver, several coded communiqués, a potent female aphrodisiac, a certain bit of anatomy belonging to a certain senator’s wife, and, most tellingly, a German count who has mansplained himself into an early grave….

This novel is told in two parts. In the first, Harry provides an account of the crimes, suspects, and clues—including myriad misdirections—as he assists the pompous police detective working the case. In the second part, told by a precocious young girl then staying with the countess, details are filled in, motivations explained, and secrets revealed….

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