Chicago freelance writer and reluctant sleuth Emerson Ward is shocked when his friend, photographer Brady "e;Puppy"e; Barnes, is shot and killed. Puppy had asked Emerson to investigate some missing gems stolen from his studio and now Emerson suspects a dirty insider is responsible for both the theft and the murder. Going undercover, Emerson soon discovers a hornet's nest of suspects and more than a few motives for murder.
