Boston Blackie gets pulled into a political blackmail case involving candidate Lester Allen, a mysterious woman claiming to be his wife, and a murder that seems designed to frame him. As Blackie investigates, he discovers the woman’s story is built on lies, the marriage is fake, and the real conspiracy reaches into Allen’s campaign and Leonard Brewster’s political ambitions. In the end, Blackie exposes the truth by spotting a crucial inconsistency: the sofa in the victim’s room, which reveals who actually visited her and when.

Key Plot Points:

Lester Allen is being blackmailed over an old scandal.
A woman claiming to be Mrs. Boston Blackie demands $10,000.
Blackie learns the woman is part of a larger political setup.
The woman is found murdered, and suspicion falls on Blackie.
Inspector Faraday uses physical evidence, including a handkerchief, to build the case.
Blackie notices the “sofa” detail that exposes Leonard Brewster’s lie.
Brewster is revealed as the killer after he is caught contradicting the room layout.
A final twist reveals the fake wife was actually married to Jim Whelan, not Blackie.

Themes:

Deception and false identities
Political corruption
Blackmail and betrayal
Blackie’s trademark logic and misdirection

Notable Twist:

The entire murder case turns on whether the victim’s room had a sofa on Tuesday or Wednesday — a tiny detail that proves who lied and who killed her.