It all starts with a noisy toilet. Benny's janitor, Kogan, is preoccupied with the death of his elderly girlfriend, Lizzy Oldridge, who appears to have starved to death. Benny agrees to attend the inquest if Kogan will look into the plumbing.
Lizzy may have died hungry, but she had plenty of money, and somehow former alderman and mayoralty candidate Thurleigh Ramsden, an unsavory character if there ever was one, has gained control of it. Ramsden escapes the inquest with his reputation untarnished, but Benny finds himself hopelessly enmeshed in the posthumous troubles of Kogan's late love. By the end of this twisting, turning tale, the body count has increased alarmingly-but what's happened with the plumbing?
"Mr. Engel is a born writer, a natural stylist...This is a writer who can bring a character to life in a few lines." (Ruth Rendell)
"Benny Cooperman is one of the most enjoyable private eyes in crime fiction." ("The Toronto Star")
"Engel is...one of the best." ("Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine")