A new form of tobacco had been discovered and was being put on the market by a syndicate of exceptionally clever and unscrupulous criminals. The campaign was to start with a free distribution of millions of packets of cigarettes made from the new leaf. But the whole consignment of tobacco was burnt, and one by one the members of the projected syndicate were assassinated by a mysterious person who called himself "X Esquire!" Who was he? And what was his purpose? Leslie Charteris has once again excelled himself in this tense, dynamic thriller.