ðə dʒˈɜːm ʌvðə nˈɑːvəl wʌzɐ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi dɹˈæft, sˈɛt ɪn sˌæn fɹænsˈɪskoʊ ænd fˈiːtʃɚɹɪŋ ɐ pɹˈaɪvət dɪtˈɛktɪv nˈeɪmd dʒˈɑːn ɡˈɪld ɔnðə tɹˈeɪl ʌvðə mˈɪsɪŋ sˈaɪəntɪst wˈɔltɚɹ ˈɜːvɪŋ wˈɪnənt hˌuː mˌeɪhɐv mˈɜːdɚd hɪz sˈɛkɹətɹi.
The germ of the novel was a 1930 draft, set in San Francisco and featuring a private detective named John Guild on the trail of the missing scientist Walter Irving Wynant who may have murdered his secretary.