Peggy Robertson, Hitchcock's long-time assistant, read Anthony Boucher's positive review of the novel in his "Criminals at Large" column and decided to show the book to her employer; however, studio readers at Paramount Pictures already rejected its premise for a film. Hitchcock acquired rights to the novel for $9,500 and reportedly ordered Robertson to buy all copies to preserve the novel's surprises. Hitchcock, who had come to face genre competitors whose works were critically compared to his own, was seeking new material to recover from two aborted projects with Paramount: "Flamingo Feather" and "No Bail for the Judge". He disliked stars' salary demands and trusted only a few people to choose prospective material, including Robertson.