All New Orleans was disturbed at the rumor that one of its civic treasures, the nine priceless leaves of the Gutenberg Bible, reposing in its stately Sheldon Memorial Library, had been stolen, but when the rumor became a fact and was followed by a series of murders so hideous that every paper's headlines screamed each new phase of the case, that concern changed swiftly to almost a panic.

Each new crime centered about the same group of people, wealthy, respected, and influential, and yet the police and District Attorney could uncover no definite clue on which to make an arrest.

That the Bible fragments contained the Ten Commandments, among which was "Thou Shalt Not Kill," that each of the suspects, because of a strange will, could be benefited by the death of each of the victims of the murderer, complicated the case still further, and each new clue further involved the seemingly most innocent.

In the deft weaving of each development of the plot and in the vivid delineations of District Attorney Dan Farrell, honest, capable, and trustworthy; Wade of The Creole, lank, shrewd, and persistent; Terry Sheldon, rich, impulsive, and hot-headed; and Winifred Gonzales, with a charm too rich for youth and face too young for age, the authors have provided a set of characters so true to life that the reader will remember them long after the book is finished.