'This is the real thing - an urban nightmare of hopelessness, greed, betrayal, and get-back, kick-ass revenge...A hell of a book' Booklist 'Snaps with authentic street talk and with a switch-hitting plot...the novel has something important to say about trust and treachery' Washington Post 'The kind of book you are always hoping to find but rarely do' James Sallis 'An even more promising follow-up to Pelecanos' highly recommended first novel, A Firing Offense...He is adept at avoiding the dreary cliches used by the current crop of Hammett and Chandler wannabees' New Mystery Nick Stefanos, having earned his P.I. license, quickly discovers that snapping photos of unfaithful husbands does not make for a fulfilling job. Tending bar one night at the Spot, Nick is visited by his high-school friend, Billy Goodrich. Billy's wife is gone. Nick agrees to find her. And with that first step, he sets out on a one-way path that takes him through a sewer of theft, intrigue and love.