by Evan Hunter
First published 2002
Christmas has arrived in the city, but nobody feels generous. Detective Steve Carella catches a grisly case when zoo lions receive an unexpected meal of human remains from a young woman's corpse. Meanwhile, a trash can yields another body, this one a book salesman carrying a P-38 Walther and thick bundles of counterfeit bills. The fake money trail leads Carella and his partner Fat Ollie Weeks to Wadsworth and Dodds, a well-regarded publishing house with secrets to hide. While the detectives work their cases, dangerous players circle the same prize. A former Gulf War pilot seeks his share. A sloppy burglar wants in. Two furious Mexicans demand what they're owed. A corrupt pair of Secret Service agents plays both sides. Everyone wants the same large cache of stolen money, and nobody plans to split it. For Fat Ollie, the publisher connection brings unexpected opportunity since he's writing his own police novel and believes his insider knowledge will guarantee bestseller status.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: corruption, greed, murder-investigation
Setting: City, Zoo, Wadsworth and Dodds
Period: Christmas
352 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Pocket