Magda Daroczi, ex-cop, second-in-command of the upscale Chicago firm Four Star Security, is still recovering from the adventures recounted in The Lanyard when she is swept into a new investigation. Her colleague Lyle Camber was found with a bullet in his head, his Four Star pistol beside him. Magda thought he was killed by the mob he had fallen in with, but now she learns that the police suspect suicide. With a half-million dollar life insurance policy at stake for Lyle's widow and children, Magda reluctantly steps in. Her pursuit of the truth about Lyle's death leads to disturbing revelations about the last days of his life. Magda's investigation discloses the devastating effects of Lyle's betrayal on his family, his friends, and the reputation and morale of Four Star. Each discovery draws her deeper into a world where anyone, her best friends, her lover, the attractive insurance investigator, or even Magda herself, may not be what they seem.