New York: Walker, (1993) dj. Hardcover first edition - The second mystery novel by this author best known for his dark fantasy. "Boasting more beatings per page than a Philip Marlowe story, this complex mystery stars ruminative Yonkers PI Jack Paine, an unjustly fired cop. During the worst heat wave in 34 years, Paine is torn away from his fat Gore Vidal novel, his Keith Jarrett records and his fishing gear by a call from the wife of his old police buddy, Bobby Petty. She reports that Bobby has deserted her and their young daughters . . A scrap of paper with a flight number leads Paine to Dallas and to the first of half a dozen savagely butchered bodies. Drugs, betrayal and corruption at the highest levels figure in a story that stretches the bounds of credibility but provides a satisfying, even shocking, climax." (Publishers Weekly) 141 pp. Dust jacket art by Daniel F. Richards. ISBN: 0-802732356.