Synopses & Reviews
First written in 1941 but banned from publication in the United States until 1988, this hard-boiled mystery covers such unsavory but potent topics as grave-robbing, religious cults, kinky sex, and whorehouse violence. In this classic noir novel, a private eye from St. Louis, who likes his steak rare, his liquor hard, and his women fallen, arrives at the small town of Paulton to protect his wealthy client's daughter from a suspicious religious cult. Throughout the span of the case, he confronts Paulton's mob boss, avenges his partner's death, and falls for a classic femme fatale named Princess.
Review
"Jonathan Latimer is the best kept secret in noir fiction. One of the great unrecognized masters." (Max Allan Collins, author of Road to Perdition)
About the Author
Jonathan Latimer was the author of Murder in the Madhouse and Lady in the Morgue, and the screenplays The Big Clock and The Glass Key. He wrote scripts for Perry Mason. William L. DeAndrea is the author of The Hog Murders and a three-time Edgar Award winner.