Sinners and Shrouds, first published in 1955 as an Inner Sanctum Mystery, is a fast-paced, action-packed novel by master crime-writer Jonathan Latimer (1906-1983). The story centers on newspaper reporter Sam Clay, who becomes his own story when he wakes up next to a corpse and with no memory of the woman's identity and of what took place the previous night. Clay knows that he is being framed for the murder but has to prove this-both to himself and to the police. Reporter Sam Clay had awakened in a strange room with a hangover and a blonde. The hangover was ugly and the blonde was dead! After a fast check Sam realized that he was the fall guy in a first-class frame-up. Then he heard the maid coming into the apartment. So he picked up a half-filled bottle of brandy and slipped into the closet. Sam didn't make a practice of knocking women unconscious with bottles. But this was an emergency. When the maid turned her back... bang! He let her have it. As she sank to the floor with a moan, Sam wondered just how long he could stay one jump ahead of the cops!

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