Part of Lew Archer, book 4
First published 2007
A woman wrapped in blue mink and covered in diamonds walks into Lew Archer's office with a story about stolen jewelry. She wants him to find her former maid. Archer knows she's lying, but takes the case anyway. He follows the trail to a decrepit motel in a dying town where he discovers the maid's body. Her throat has been cut. What started as a simple theft investigation becomes something much darker. Archer uncovers connections to Detroit numbers runners, beautiful women playing multiple sides, and a missing heir from a wealthy shipping family. Each lead pulls him deeper into a maze of lies where nothing is what it seems. The dead maid was just the beginning.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Detroit, Motel
Period: 20th-Century
256 pages · Paperback · Vintage Crime/Black Lizard