'A client happens to fall from the twentieth story of a building; a rock star goes missing; an erotic Mongol scroll vanishes; a film star has a problem that has nothing to do with creativity - it's all in a day's work for Cliff Hardy.
'Yachts dance on the sparkling waters of the harbour, and the back alleys are busy; the city's high and low classes go about their daily business. But nothing really surprises Hardy; and, for a hundred and twenty-five a day (plus expenses), he'll provide a few surprises of his own...' (Publication summary)
'Cliff Hardy starts out to help a friend but before long he's looking for an enemy - William Mountain: a boozer, TV scriptwriter, would-be novelist who is missing and searching for adventure. Mountain's adventure is Hardy's 'case' which rapidly becomes a case he would rather not have. Mountain is the dealer in a deadly game and the hands he deals become more and more bizarre...' (Publication summary)
'Politician Peter January is having trouble staying alive so he hires Cliff Hardy to help him. Hardy dislikes the role of politician's 'security consultant' but he dislikes bombers, hitmen and hate-mailers even more.
'Protecting January leads to protecting his assistant, Trudie Bell, which is a more enjoyable assignment. It also takes Hardy to Washington DC where the threats are real and the rules are different.
'To stand close to January is to stand close to danger and corruption, but there are even greater evils and Hardy cannot back away...' (Publication summary)
