The Woman In The Window (Aka Once Off Guard)

Window dressing and the art of murder!

After college professor Richard Wanley sends his wife and two children off on vacation, he goes to his club to meet friends. Next door, Wanley sees a striking oil portrait of Alice Reed in a storefront window.

Wanley while studying the portrait actually meets Reed, who is standing near the painting watching people gaze at it. Reed convinces Wanley to join her for drinks. Later, they go to Reed's home, but an unexpected visit from her rich clandestine lover Claude Mazard, leads to a fight in which Wanley kills Mazard. Wanley and Reed conspire to cover up the murder, and Wanley disposes of Mazard's body in the country. However, Wanley leaves many clues, and there are a number of witnesses. Can he escape? A noir classic the book was made into a successful movie starring Edward G. Robinson.