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.
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.