As Lew Archer investigates the kidnapping of Southern California millionaire Ralph Sampson, he is drawn from the canyon sanctuaries of the megarich to the casual violence of seedy jazz joints.

"The beautiful, high-diving blonde had Hollywood dreams and stars in her eyes but now she seems to have disappeared without a trace. Hired by her hotheaded husband and her rummy "uncle," Lew Archer sniffs around Malibu and finds the stink of blackmail, blood-money, and murder on every pricey silk shirt. Beset by dirty cops, a bumptious boxer turned silver screen pretty boy and a Hollywood mogul with a dark past, Archer discovers the secret of a grisly...