Matt Hanes's dreams of superstardom were in reach when the vast American viewing audience selected him to be among the ten finalists on Star Maker—the reality TV phenomenon that plucks one talented nobody from obscurity and rockets him or her to instant fame. But someone decided Matt wasn't worthy . . .

Private investigator Jim McNamara has made a name for himself hunting killers in the world of rock 'n roll. Now he's diving into the shark-infested waters surrounding TV-land to discover who slew a young man with a million-dollar voice—and finding something rotting beneath the glitz and excitement of America's hottest on-screen obsession. And he's got to work fast to unmask a lethal music critic before any more contestants get eliminated from the competition . . . permanently.