This is an excellent mystery, with a long, slow build up as a seemingly wanton newlywed disappears from Miami Beach after flirting with every guy she sees. The mystery of what happened slowly adds facts until Shayne can figure out a solution. All the usual Miami hotels, bars, and gambling joints are featured here. But ultimately it's a Sherlock Holmes mystery of logic and deduction.
Halliday doesn't take it too seriously as evidenced by his references to Mike Shayne tv shows and novels. All in all, a top notch classic detective story. ( )

Mike Shayne, the tough P.I. whose main beat is Miami, is hired to find the missing Mrs. Harris. A simple case of missing persons? Not this time.

Ellen Harris, Mrs. Herbert Harris, tall, blonde and gorgeous, has arrived in Miami for a two week vacation—alone. Her husband feels that modern couples should spend time away from each other each year to keep the marriage fresh and exciting. He finds it to have become very exciting when he arrives as a surprise and finds that his wife's bed hasn't been slept in, her luggage still packed and she is gone. Last seen leaving the hotel in the company of a man she met in the bar.

Has she run off on her own? Was she kidnapped? Is she dead? Herber Harris is distraught and hires Mike Shayne to find her. Harris claims they had a perfect marriage and both loved each other exclusively. She didn't know anyone in Miami, so who is this man?

With no clues or serious leads, Mike has to call in favours and scour locations and possible witnesses to solve this missing person case. Tightly written with many twists and turns to navigate, he does solve it. Will you solve it before he does? I doubt it. ( )