Summary

The book opens with the respected physician Juvenal Urbino arriving at the home of his chess-playing friend, Jeremiah Saint-Amour, who has just been discovered dead. Juvenal is a well-known doctor who established himself as a leader in his field when he developed cutting-edge treatments for a devastating cholera outbreak. Though he is in his eighties, Juvenal is still called to the homes of wealthy patients and on high-profile cases of death, like the one involving Jeremiah Saint-Amour. Juvenal was called to the home to investigate the death of Jeremiah, along with the police inspector and a medical intern. Juvenal determines immediately that the death is a suicide and he can smell the stench of gold cyanide in the air. Though it is clearly a suicide, Juvenal is confused about the motive behind it as his friend showed no signs when he last saw him for a...