A mob boss hires an ex-cop to find his mistress's killer in "the kind of tight lipped, hard mouthed story . . . which Chandler initiated and which Bogart immortalized" ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Six months ago, Mitchell Tobin lost his career—and with it, his identity. An honest cop drummed out of the force because of one terrible mistake, Tobin has spent six months watching his savings dwindle and his family fall apart. But no matter how badly he needs work, he doesn't want anything to do with Ernie Rembeck, a crime boss whose mistress has just turned up dead. The killer can only be someone inside the organization, and Rembeck wants him identified. Tobin agrees, under assurances that nothing illegal will be asked of him, but he soon finds that without a badge, right and wrong are nothing but words. Mitch Tobin is about to take on every heavy in the New York mob scene. He's finally found a purpose, but his safety is in serious jeopardy.
