The man who always finds a trail of destruction, Lew Archer, watches which way the ball bounces when he tackles the disappearance of an errant wife, Hester Wall, and finds himself swimming-pool-deep in split and shattered personalities. There is some blackmail as well as murder along the way and Archer, well-abrased and banged about, gets the answer to happenings along the California shore line. Share- and Shearable.