The Cold, Cold Ground

A singer is missing, and the man looking for her is about to find trouble

Mortimer Jones drives a Duesenberg, a behemoth of a car that seems to come from another era. Jones is the same way. In a city of tough guys, Jones has a soft touch. In a town of loudmouths, he is the rare PI who knows how to stay mum. When Flame Harlin goes missing, her aunt trusts no one but Jones to find her. Flame is a nightclub singer, with looks to spare and a smidgen of talent, and some of the town's deadliest men are hooked on her charm. Loving Flame Harlin is dangerous—and looking for her may be too.

When another PI on the same case is killed, Jones gets cautious. Whether dead or alive, Flame Harlin does not want to be found.