In a twisty crime caper, Miami PI Mike Shayne tries to tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys, and decide which one he is . . .

Miami is no stranger to organized crime and government corruption. Now, investigative reporter Tim Rourke is working to connect the two, with Mike Shayne's help. Their targets: Larry Canada, mobbed-up president of a road construction firm, and the state highway commissioner. They know there's something there; they just need concrete evidence.

Meanwhile, a group of rank amateurs decides to play out their get-rich-quick kidnapping scheme, starting with one of Canada's lowly loan sharks. But when their plan goes horribly awry, they decide to set their sights higher: on the big guy himself.

And there's dissension within the mob's own ranks. A high-ranking gangster is ready to take his shot at the king.

Shayne barely has time for a brandy as bullets fly in a circus of backstabbing, looting, hijacking, and murder.

"The hard-drinking, hard-fisted, quick-thinking private eye!" —Dayton Journal-Herald