tery finds the Honolulu police inspector and internationally renowned detective on the case when an old friend's plea for help turns into a mystery as thick as its fog-shrouded San Francisco setting.

Years after their first meeting in the midst of a Hawaiian murder case, John Quincy Winterslip appeals to Chan to discreetly delve into the secrets of a respected San Francisco university. Not as challenging a case, Chan thinks, as those which brought him professional satisfaction and worldwide celebrity. Still, it's an opportunity to see daughter Rose and other family-and to help the young Winterslip.

But something is amiss in the academic community, and Chan's powers are put to the test as violence and death visit the quiet campus. Who is threatening one professor after another with blackmail and death? With wit, wisdom, and intuitive intellect-and the help of Winterslip and daughter Rose-Chan will crack the case and unmask the guilty.