Matt Cordell was on his way down. Since he lost his license as a detective for attacking his wife and her lover, his goal is seeking oblivion with a bottle. But P. I. work came to him in spite of himself. His buddy's sister-in-law is pregnant and he wants to know who the daddy is. The case takes on extra emphasis when his buddy's sweet sister-in-law turns up dead. With the help of a nympho, Matt finds out the person he's seeking name is Freddie. Now with only about 100,000 Freddies in NY, Matt Cordell is desperate. Ed McBain writing with his grittiest noir chops.