A wealthy Pasadena widow with a mean streak, a missing daughter-in-law with a past, and a gold coin worth a small fortune--the elements don't quite add up until Marlowe discovers evidence of murder, rape, blackmail, and the worst kind of human exploitation. (at)lt;br(at)gt;(at)lt;br(at)gt;"Raymond Chandler is a star of the first magnitude. "-- Erle Stanley Gardner(at)lt;br(at)gt;(at)lt;br(at)gt;" Raymond Chandler has given us a detective who is hard-boiled enough to be convincing ... and that is no mean achievement. " -- The New York Times