&quot;Emerson is at the top of his game, and very few are better.&quot;<br>--Mostly Murder<br><br>As sole heir to his beloved granddaddy's fortune, noble and naive Lance Tyner wants to use the money for the good of mankind. But some not-so-good specimens of the species--including Lance's conniving father, sleazy brother, and spoiled sister--have much more selfish plans in mind.<br><br>Now Lance has vanished. And P.I. Thomas Black must follow his trail into the sad and scary places where the dregs of humanity struggle to stay alive--and where men like Lance and Black too often end up dead. . . .<br><br>&quot;Emerson is carving his own special niche among a new generation of private eye writers.&quot;<br>--The Washington Post Book World