Los Angeles, 1956 -

Gordon "Gordy" Kraus left the LAPD force in 1944 to fight in WWII. Twelve years later, he's a private detective in Los Angeles. He spends his days chasing down deadbeats, handling divorce cases and working loss prevention for Hollywood studios. It's a far cry from official police work. Kraus returned home after a touch war with no more stomach for the raw edges of a cop's life. Or so he thought.

When Kraus' former LAPD patrol partner turns up shot to death in a skid row alley, he can't leave it to the police to solve the murder. It doesn't take Kraus long to discover his old partner was in way over his head. He finds himself cross dangerous paths with mobsters, ruthless businessmen and hapless blackmail victims. Kraus' ongoing pursuit of an elusive female con artist adds to his problems. He's not the only one looking for her.

The hunt for his old partner's killer leads Kraus on a colorful tour of 1956 Los Angeles. Along the way, his investigation takes him to South Central's gritty streets, a mob-run gambling den with a low tolerance threshold for welshers and a Hollywood Hills mansion with residents who are anything but millionaires.

Kraus learns that buried regrets can be like slow-flying homing pigeons and finding something to live for is sometimes a quick way to wind up dead.