A crime syndicate, J. Edgar Hoover, a wealthy family from back East, a wily stalker, and his former employer—the Phoenix Police Department—all want something from private investigator Hammons. For Hammons, business has never been better in this young city of big ambition and even bigger corruption, and when he’s drawn into a case of smuggled gold, blackmail, and murder, he will need all the help he can get. His capable-but-drug-addicted brother, still a detective, is as much a hindrance as a help. Luckily, Hammons finds a professional ally in Pamela Bradbury, a fellow gumshoe. As they work the cases together, they can’t help but worry that the crimes are somehow connected, and that time is not the only nemesis threatening their investigations.