In this combination old-fashioned detective novel and modern romantic thriller, Portland (Oregon) private detectives Clint McCall and Devon Malone each have a client who wants to catch a cheating spouse—and the clients are married to each other!

That should be complication enough, but pretty soon there are dead bodies, a local crime boss, out-of-town gangsters, and nasty young punks all thrown into the mix. The punks are out to get McCall, the gangsters are threatening his daughter, and the crime boss is after everybody.

On top of all that, and much worse, the dead bodies mean that there may be a new serial killer in town.

McCall and Malone have to work together, bickering all the way, to help their clients, protect themselves and stop whoever is killing young women in downtown Portland.