No Letters From The Grave [first edition]

The laconic L.A. private investigator Mike Faraday is employed to find a missing croupier from a gambling club. The simple assignment turns out to be one of Mike's most hair-raising adventures, with murder and mayhem only a step away. Involved are club manager Larry Keppler; two inept killers, Fat Fred and Friend; a murderous doctor; and an undertaker whose men arrive to pick up the corpse while the victim is still in the air.