The hanging death of a nondescript old man in a shabby apartment in the 87th Precinct leads detectives Carella, Meyer, Brown, and Weeks to the discovery of an upcoming musical with ties to a mysterious drug, and a killer.
Detectives Meyer and Carella investigate a savage murder, gang warfare suddenly erupts in the city, the drug business heats up, and the 87th Precinct finds itself tense and taxed.
A successful businessman hires an out-of-town bodyguard to protect his wife. Several near-fatal accidents send her into the arms of police detective Steve Caralla and his partner Meyer.
McBain's cops have seen too much crime and madness as they begin a new case-The stabbing of a priest in his garden with a red cult sign found painted on the gate.