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Rep Pennyworth faces the client from hell. She is Charlotte Buchanan, author of And Done to Others' Harm, a mystery of no particular merit. Charlotte contends the 1997 novel is the basis for the 1999 film Contemplation of Death. She wants to sue. Rep would blow her off, but Charlotte is the steely daughter of the CEO heading the firm's major corporate client, Tavistock, Ltd. Charlotte is resolute in demanding recognition. Rep digs in, aided by his literature-addicted wife Melissa, and files suit. By return mail comes a death threat, a grisly (and gristly) version of "Hold Your Tongue."

Research shows the film's director to be Aaron Eastman, Hollywood legend, whose Red Guard should have been a box office and critical smash but fell oddly short. Eastman contends the Oscar balloting was sabotaged. Now he's on the comeback trail and anxious not to derail. He and Rep talk and, bit by bit, the outline of a bizarre scheme to destroy the credibility of Red Guard--and Eastman--emerges. Hoosiers Rep, who enjoys a little spanking, and Melissa, who smokes a little dope, aren't prepared for the larger licenses granted to political powerhouses, but they're quick on the uptake and soon armed....