When megalomaniac proprietor of the Clarion Newspapers Ltd, Alexander Bean, is humiliated in court by judge Mr.Justice Beverly, he swears revenge. He engages the services of Sidney York to find a way to blackmail the judge. The situation gets out of hand when Sidney dies in a mysterious accident.

Henry Cecil was born near London in 1902 and was called to the Bar in 1923. Later in 1949 he was appointed at a County Court Judge, a position he held until 1967. He used these experiences as inspiration for his work. His books are works of great comic genius with upredictable twists of plot which highlight the often absurd contradictions of the legal system. He died in 1976.