The Dead Letter Office

Ruth Keene knows the rule of the Dead Letter Office: open an undeliverable letter only far enough to find a lawful route, then stop. But one false address conceals the weak door and night watch of a Richmond warehouse. Days later, thieves strike exactly as the letter foretold.

More letters follow—different cities, nonexistent relatives, the same careful hand. Their harmless family news maps real commercial targets, while someone inside the office steals each warning before it can be preserved.

Certain she understands the danger better than procedure does, Ruth hides the next letter and directs police from memory. Her private investigation may expose the thieves—but it puts a watchman inside a risk he never agreed to carry.