When Vincent Blane's larcenous son-in-law, Jack Hardisty, turns up dead at the family's cabin, Blane hires Perry Mason to look after the interests of Blane's two daughters, Milicent Hardisty (the dead man's widow) and Adele Blane, both of whom were at the cabin around the time that Jack died. At first, Mason isn't very enthusiastic:

"...it sounds like a legal chore, one of those uninspiring, routine family murders."

Just another day at the office! However, Mason changes his mind when Della gives him a little bit more information about the case:

"A buried clock," she said, "which is running about twenty-five minutes slow. It's buried somewhere near the cabin where the murder was committed, a small-edition alarm clock in a lacquered box."

He called to Della Street as he grabbed his hat. "The clock does it....Come on. Let's go!"

Mason finds himself with a twisty, confusing case involving an uncooperative client who seems to be hiding something from him, a murder victim whom a lot of people wanted dead, the above-mentioned buried clock, a large sum of stolen money, and an overly ambitious deputy DA who thinks he has a slam dunk case.

The story keeps you guessing till the end. The only person you know for a fact is innocent is Mason's client. The story has not aged, though there are references to the late war (World War II). Gardner has a light touch and a sense of humor. Things never get too grim and as usual, it's a great deal of fun to watch the authorities - including the arrogant Deputy DA McNair - scramble when they realize they've screwed up again.