Originally published in 1960, this brooding story of a down-and-out P. I. & his investigation of a beautiful, mysterious woman is the first of Howard Fast's popular mysteries that he published under the pseudonym E. V. Cunningham - the name he was forced to adopt after being blacklisted for his political beliefs by the infamous House Committee on Un-American Activities. Now published under the author's true name, the book includes an introduction by Fast discussing the blacklist & its implications