Checkmate

Story tells of a demented woman out to kill private eye Anthony George. The instrument of death, as it turned out, was, a wild stallion she stocked on her ranch. Her motive was revenge. On a previous case, the private eye had brought her lover to justice and the gas chamber.

A fictional state governor running for re-election stages a phony assassination attempt to boost his chances for victory, and hires Checkmate, ostensibly for protection, but in reality to provide an appearance of credibility. The governor's son is vocal in opposing his father's tactics, but dutifully goes along, mindful of a future political career of his own. Meanwhile, as the campaign winds down, a real threat to the governor's life emerges from within his own campaign.