From Publishers Weekly
Stanley Hastings is just a guy who can't say "no." When Sgt. William MacAuliff of the NYPD asks a favor, Stanley's obliging nature catapults him into a web of intrigue that is pure entertainment for the reader. In Hall's third novel (after Murder ) featuring the reluctant amateur sleuth, Stanley's job as drone for an ambulance-chasing attorney becomes secondary to the favor he must perform. So he heads to Atlantic City to investigate the peccadillos of MacAuliff's sleazy son-in-law, Harold Dunleavy. Using a hilarious, albeit unbelievable, modus operandi, Stanley becomes entangled with the mob, a blackmail scheme and two murders. Not surprisingly, he is the prime suspect in both murders and must somehow manage to clear his name while protecting MacAuliff's interests. Stanley's chutzpah, under the circumstances, is admirable. But his antics can grow tiresome for those who are not fans of the wing-and-a-prayer school of detection. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Good old Stanley, always willing to do a favor. Stanley Hastings, the worst private detective in New York--maybe in the known universe--enters the big league. When asked to investigate Sergeant MacAullif's son-in-law, Stanley gets himself into trouble yet again. Doing favors can create a lot of problems. When Stanley takes on the case, he ends up doing one more favor than he expected: he unwittingly takes the blame for the questionable dealings of MacAullif's son-in-law. Now he must find a way out of this mess. Maybe he'll learn to be more cautious next time he's asked to do a favor.

SYNOPSIS