The theme of this novel is, "With money comes the will to kill, but also the power to manipulate those around you and get away with murder."

Dave Robicheaux and his partner Helen Soileau are homicide detectives under the New Iberia Parish in Louisiana when a "Newsweek" reporter, Megan Flyn, tips them about a small time criminal, "Cool Breeze" Broussard, complaining of abuse in lockdown in the local jail. As Dave investigates Cool Breeze, a mutual respect and trust develop between the two, and Cool Breeze tells him of a scam he was pulling on the Giancano family, an Italian mob selling VCR's and dubbed tapes of Kung Fu movies. While talking with Cool Breezes father, dave learns that Alex Guildry, the jailer, is going to try to kill Cool for accusing him of abuse. When Cool is attacked in the workshop, Alex was fired. Adrien Glazier, a FBI agent, contacted Dave about the incident in the jail believing they set up the attack.

Meanwhile Megan has a brother, Cisco Flyn, who is a movie producer in New Iberia. Their father, Jack Flyn, what brutally tortured and murdered, crucified, forty years ago. This is a case,

Dave Robicheaux later found a witness named Ruby Gravano, who was a prostitute under services to Harpo Scruggs the night of Jack Flyn's murder. Before they kidnapped jack, the kidnapped her from the brothel they found her in and took along for the murder. She claimed Harpo gave her a metal box to hide and threatened to kill her if she told a soul.

which Dave has been obsessed with for years. A man named Archer Terrebonne is investing into one of his movies. Archer is suspect for the murder of Jack.

In the midst of this fiasco, two men attacked Megan Flyn during the night and nearly drowned her. She was left alive as a sign to Dave to get off the case. One of the men was believed to be Harpo Scruggs, but they had no evidence to prove it once again. The other had an identifying characteristic, a chain tattoo on his left wrist. The next day, Swede Boxleiter threw him out of and eighth story window, landing on a fire hydrant.

Around the same time, two men carrying automatic riffles attacked Swede Boxleiter in his house. After slashing one across the chest, a bullet passed through the center of his brain.

As the plot unfolds, you learn of the supposed suicide of Cool Breezes wife, Ida, who had been sleeping with Alex Guildry. Dave believed the story to be suspicious, however, and confirmed his suspicions after related to the story to Swede, who Dave still sees as a murderer who should be in jail, but Robicheaux respects his intellect as a con man.

She was later found dead near a swamp.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Harpo Scruggs, Swede Boxleiter, AA Robicheaux, Dave Helen, Jack Flyn's, Ruby Harpo, Jack's Scruggs, Cool Breeze, Swede Dave, Alex Guildry, harpo scruggs, swede boxleiter, cool breezes, cool breeze, alex guildry, megan flyn, dave believed, dave robicheaux, cisco flyn, jack flyn,
Approximate Word count = 1070
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)