Susan Rogers Cooper's Oklahoma law officer Milt Kovak is a character so humorous toward himself and his blunders, and toward the rest of the world as well, that he almost seems a figure of fun. His complexities, however, slowly reveal themselves as the story unfolds. He is warm and down-to-earth, with small human failings and large integrity - a person of genuine depth. In Doctors and Lawyers and Such, Milt is running for sheriff and his wife, psychiatrist Jean McDonnell, is pregnant and not missing a symptom. A national television figure who recently married a local man and moved to Prophesy County is brutally murdered. There's been an unusually high number of suicides in the region, including the wife of Milt's best friend, the chief of police. Milt is juggling all this while trying to fend off a nosy newspaperman, cope with the fact that his son's birth will be a hazardous one, and keep his career prospects intact. <p>Prophesy County's acting sheriff, Milt Kovak, is awakened on the eve of his election by Lloyd Macon, mayor of Longbranch. The chief of police's wife has committed suicide, and Lloyd needs Milt's impartial eye for the investigation. Never mind that the bereaved husband is Milt's best friend. Although the suicide is confirmed, and Milt wins his election, violent deaths continue. </p>