A failed attempt on his life by a contract killer gets Mike Hammer riled up. But it also lands him an unlikely job: security detail for a Hollywood producer having a party to honor his beautiful fiancée, a rising Broadway star. But it's no walk in the park, as Hammer finds violence following him and his beautiful private-eye partner Velda into the swankiest of crime scenes.

In the meantime, Hammer is trying to figure out who put the hit man on him. Is there a connection with the death of a newsstand operator who took a bullet meant for him? A shadowy figure looking for the kill of his life?