P.I. Leonid McGill isn't usually one to refuse a case. But when Hiram
Stent, a man down on his luck, begs him to find a cousin who is about to
inherit millions of dollars, he senses something fishy. His instincts
prove right: The night after he turns Hiram away, Hiram is found dead
and Leonid's office is broken into. Feeling partly responsible for this
bizarre turn of events, Leonid is forced to open an investigation that
will pull him into the lurid history of an old-money New York family.
Leonid's personal life is no less troubling. As his wife recovers in an
uptown sanatorium from a suicide attempt, his mistress's conscience
kicks in. To further complicate matters, the stunning Marella Herzog, as
irresistible as she is dangerous, walks into his life--the perfect wrong
woman at just the right time.