This crime story with the banker/investigator John Putnam Thatcher is set against the glamour and fierce rivalry of the Winter Olympics. It exposes a devious financial scandal within the Olympic Village. Emma Lathen is the pseudonym of two Massachusetts women, Mary Jane Latsis, an economist, and Martha Henissart, a lawyer. They both worked with the United States government in a variety of areas from New York State legislation to the CIA in Washington. They are winners of the Crime Writers' Association Golden Dagger Award.