Mike Shayne tangles with a Miami Beach blackmailer on behalf of a long-forgotten friend It's been four years since his wife was murdered, and Mike Shayne isn't keen to remember the old days. He's back in Miami when he sees Christine, once his wife's closest friend, and something in his gut tells him to stay away. Newly married, Christine has racked up $10,000 in gambling debts, and she's ready to pawn the only valuable thing she owns: a string of priceless pearls. She asks Shayne to make the handoff. The setup smells fishy, but he agrees to help—not for Christine's sake, but for the memory of the woman he loved. Through a bit of quick thinking, Shayne erases the debt without losing the pearls. His client should be overjoyed, but Christine is furious that he changed the plan. Before long, Shayne is trapped in a web of blackmail and murder, where the number one suspect is Mike Shayne.
