Invitation to a Murder

Generally well liked and respected, sixty-four year old Sylvan College Philosophy Professor Henry Todhunter is not surprised by the terminal diagnosis he receives from his friend and physician Dr. Lawrence Stevens. All Henry is concerned about is finding out the amount of time he has to live in wanting to do something good for the world in that remaining time, which is six months. Not telling them about the fact that he is dying, he asks respected friends the hypothetical of what they would do if they knew they only had six months to live. What Henry decides to do, stemming from the feedback, is rid the world of someone considered truly evil and whose presence would not be missed by anyone. He learns that there is a woman, art gallery owner Ketti Moret, negatively affecting the marriage of his friends Betty and Michael Farroway, the latter a former student and now a struggling artist. Henry's initial suspicion that Ketti is Michael's mistress is incorrect in learning that she has lured him into an illegal art forgery scheme. While Michael entered into the scheme on his own volition, he is now unable to get out of it as she holds many cards over him. Henry further learns that Ketti has wreaked havoc on all the lives she has touched. As Henry contemplates killing her, in the process giving her opportunities to redeem herself, he may not realize some of the negative consequences he killing her will have on others caught in the proverbial crossfire.