A brother and sister&’s reunion is cut short by murder in this 1956 hard-boiled detective novel by the author of Waterfront and Counterfeit Corpse. After twenty-four years serving with the US navy, Arkansas-native Rex Howard has settled down in Manhattan. He has a private detective&’s license but works mostly in security. With his work, his navy pension, and a few stocks, Rex has enough to live comfortably. It&’s a life that&’s tidy and shipshape. Then one day he receives a message to contact a Mrs. Gillian at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. It turns out to be his sister, Janice, whom he hasn&’t seen in four years. She&’s recently married and in town waiting for her husband while he&’s on a business trip in Canada. Rex decides to take his sister out for the evening, and they hit up his favorite bar for a drink. But their night takes a turn for the worse when Janice falls over dead from poisoned whiskey. Now, the police are on the case, but that&’s not enough for Rex. He wants revenge on whoever killed his sister and will stop at nothing to get it . . . &“Out-Spillanes Mickey Spillane!&” —Real Magazine