Stoney gave up drinking, but it couldn't save his marriage. Leaving the big house in New Jersey to his wife and kids, he's living in the City—still working the profitable, if not 100 percent legal, angles with his partner, "Fat Tommy Bagadonuts." Then, out of the blue, Stoney's teenage daughter shows up with a problem: an unwanted admirer who needs to be cooled down . . . or eliminated.

But the secrets Marisa's been keeping from her father—like her night job as an exotic dancer—can't compare with those being guarded by the mysterious and violent man who's stalking her: a dangerous enigma with no past and a made-up name. He does, however, have lots of money—which makes him a very tempting mark for Stoney, Tommy, and their young streetwise "apprentice," Tuco. But people who look too closely into this guy's history have a habit of turning up dead.

Norman Green reports this about himself: "I have always been careful, as Mark Twain advised, not to let schooling interfere with my education. Too careful, maybe. I have been, at various times, a truck driver, a construction worker, a project engineer, a factory rep, and a plant engineer, but never, until now, a writer." He lives in Emerson, New Jersey, with his wife, and is hard at work on his second novel.

“Green imbues Stoney’s hard-boiled low lifes with warm-hearted humanity.” — Entertainment Weekly

“High-octane entertainment…(Green) understands wonderfully well the unfailing relationship between sustaining suspense and making you care about the characters.” — Kirkus Reviews (Starred)

“Elmore Leonard-like voice, finely drawn characters…Green has the beginning of a great new series. .” — Library Journal

“Fans of Elmore Leonard are sure to enjoy Green, who delivers crisp prose.” — Booklist

“Green’s well-drawn characters and nimble plot lift this above the common run of mysteries.” — Publishers Weekly

“Top notch, fast-paced and compelling. One of the very best crime-caper, mystery novels of the past several years.” — Mystery News