Frank Dazzler lives and runs a Denver bail/bonds business out of an old church in LoDo (Denver-ese for the lower downtown district). He shares the church with his skip tracer Street, goes by Streeter. No first name. Streeter's not known for his choices when it comes to women; divorced 4 times and he's just in his 40s. He was once engaged to Carol Irwin, a criminal lawyer who turned to taxes when she learned she wasn't that great of a litigator. But the relationship went south when Streeter messed around with one of Carol's girlfriends.
A lowlife that Carol represented (poorly) is Kevin Swallow who got sent to prison for murder (car bombs. likes to work remotely). But Carol mucked up the defense and Kevin's been released on a technicality and is looking to settle some scores. Those who worked for the good guys on Swallow's case are being picked off one by one. Some dead, others maimed pretty bad. Carol is spooked and asks for Streeter's help. Swallow's been sending Carol some cryptic poetry and she thinks the best and safest thing to do is stay at the church as Streeter was not connected with the Swallow's original case.
As might be expected, Swallow manages to track Carol forcing Denver PD to assign a uniform 24/7 for protection while Streeter tries to track down what he can find about Swallow by looking into his personal history, the trial, and his time in prison. Not much shows up. The guy seemed to be protected while in jail, no visitors to speak of. No family. He's scum. How does this guy always seem to be a step ahead? Impossible that he could get in an out of places without notice and know who's after him.
Stone weaves a pretty clever piece of noir (if Denver can be consider a locale for a noir mystery) that takes a couple interesting, if not too subtle, twists in the last third of the book. This is part of a series featuring Streeter and Dazzler, even thought Dazzler is a bit player in this story. Assuming the others are presented in a unique combination of noir and humor, I foresee a return to Denver in my future.
ECD
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