The novel focuses on the Delacorte family. James Delacorte owns a large collection of rare books and, upon noticing that some volumes are missing, hires a librarian to help him inventory and digitize his collection. However, he is found dead in his library, and it is suspected that he was murdered. The police take charge of the investigation, and since they also want to determine if any books have been stolen, they ask the librarian to complete the catalog to verify if anything is missing. The crimes continue, and another murder occurs.
The librarian, who is the narrator, investigates on his own and gives significant attention to his pet. It is a short thriller, with little complexity and very descriptive. Rural American life is portrayed.
The entire story is framed within the narrator’s family, which is well-developed, although there is an excess of "idealized goodness." Homosexual characters also appear.
Miranda James is the pseudonym of Dean James; besides this, he uses other pseudonyms. He is a writer, a librarian, and an American.