Self-described "professional thug" Spenser goes up against another professional who proves skillful, threatening, and deadly. At first, the case focuses on one man blackmailing several wealthy women. But when women start turning up dead, Spenser's assignment goes from blackmail to murder. 38th in the series. "Mantegna delivers a one-man performance... He's a strong narrator; the text flows smoothly, and the characters are precisely distinguished."—AudioFile