No one knew who the girl was; she was just a lovely, tragic, haunted face briefly glimpsed in a newsreel of a gala movie premiere. But because of the time and the place, Bynum Fels, assistant district attorney, wanted her for murder. Film producer Jacob Tobias, on the other hand, wanted her for his next picture, wanted to make her a star, which meant not only finding her but also hiding her from Fels until she could prove her innocence. To Peter Hack, Tobias' press agent, fell the job of catching up with the girl. At first it was only that-a job-until Pete finally confronted the lady, and the lady held a gun pointed at Pete. Pete witnessed a second murder, was accused of a third and arrested for a fourth before light dawned and he realized that the evidence that was not there was more important than the clues, the witnesses and the suspects who were. The Crime, The Place, and The Girl was published in 1955. The Stapletons specialized in light, humorous mysteries.