"Suicide was all the rage in L.A. the summer of '39." When an oddball sister and brother hire him to find out if their father's suicide was suicide, private investigator Nate Ross figures he's in for an easy job. That is, until he discovers that the evidence doesn't add up and the cops - who are strangely cooperative - have rubber-stamped the case and filed it away. Soon Nate's dealing with crooks on the lam, dodging local bigwigs and shady lawyers, and chasing a clear-cut case of murder. Meanwhile, he wrestles with a conflict of interest as he's forced to investigate his own client. The more threads he pulls, the more things threaten to unravel completely. But with the help of old sidekicks, and a couple of new ones, Nate may get to the truth first. If he doesn't die trying.