More madness from the king of hard-boiled crime: 'Crumley writes like an angel on speed ... Indispensable' Time Out

"The last gig almost killed me partner," I said. "I didn't shit right or sleep through the night for months..." CW Sughrue, ex hippie, heavy drinker and recovering gunshot victim thought he knew better than to do any more work for his buddy, Dr Will Mackindrick, but when someone breaks into Mac's office in Montana and copies tapes of confidential psychoanalysis he's convinced it's the work of one of his patients. He needs the help of a private investigator he can trust and with Sughrue's wife having just left town, he could probably fall back into bad habits, especially with a 30,000 dollar sweetener upfront. Sughrue's soon cursing himself for not having listened to his instincts. His first day on the job offers an unconventional mode of introduction: the wife of Professor Ritter, one of Mac's patients, hurtles towards him with a noose round her neck. "Mrs Ritter didn't have the vaguest idea how to hang herself. Too much slack in the rope..." But it was enough for her to die, and it's pretty certain she wouldn't be the last. With six other patients including a waitress, a part-time stripper and a local anchor woman to trail Sughrue is finding himself being dragged towards a case which is quickly becoming even more trouble than the last.