Johnny Liddell, the fast-moving New York private eye, is hired to investigate a murder which everyone but the client calls a suicide. The client, a beautiful heiress, unfortunately fails to appear at a rendezvous to explain matters; instead a very active tommy-gun enlivens the proceedings. Score: one gunman killed, Liddell unscathed. The gangsters turn out to be members of a syndicate run from Sing Sing, but their connection with the girl is not clear. And she, by this time, has vanished completely, leaving the detective with nothing but a $500 retainer. With his usual keenness Johnny moves from this lively beginning on a violent trail of fights and point-blank killings from Park Avenue to Broadway, leading to a very unexpected climax. - Summary from inside front flap of book