The Brass Cupcake Author:John D. MacDonald Take a Hard-Boiled EX-COP NAMED CLIFF BARTELLS — Take a beautiful girl with the unlikely name of Melody Chance. — Add the death of one Elizabeth Stegman of Boston, Massachusetts. — Plus her missing jewels, insured for seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. — What have you got? — Murder for profit,of course. Cold-blooded, premeditated murder — With ... more »a girl like Letty, a guy never knew whether he was getting the brass cupcake, the gold ring, the wooden nickle or the lead slug . . . until it was too late.« less
Set in the 1950's in Florida, an ex-cop - now insurance recovery man, takes on a case that could be his last. To solve the case he has to battle small town politics, organized crime, and his own heart.