It should have already been the night that launched a new pop idol. Tamar Valparaiso is young and beautiful, with the body and voice of the angel. The stage is set on her behalf to start her debut record, Bandersnatch, on a luxury yacht in the center of the city. But halfway through her overall performance, masked men drag Tamar off the stage and into a waiting speedboat, while the partygoers look on helplessly.

Detective Steve Carella is merely turning up for the graveyard shift when news from the kidnapping comes in. Functioning disjointedly with a Joint Job Force that calls itself ‘The Squad,’ Carella and the women and men of the Eight-Seven must discover Tamar before period — or indeed her very life — runs out.

In this outstanding look at the music market, Ed McBain once again combines his mastery of type with the fast-paced dialogue and elaborate plotting that have become his personal.