Devils in Paradise

In postwar Los Angeles-ground zero in J. Edgar Hoover's anti-Red crusade-private investigators Kit Comfort and her partner, infamous ex-cop Henry Richman, are hired by Donald Dreiland, publisher of True Investigations magazine, to find and reclaim a stolen Jules Verne first edition. Sophisticate Dreiland is sure his brilliant but unpredictable assistant editor, Marlene Overbrook, snatched the book from his office before dropping from sight.

Marlene, once a celebrated child prodigy and Army intelligence recruit, is in deep hiding, terrified to reveal all that she knows both about the Verne and Dreiland, who is not quite as he seems. To find Marlene, Kit and Henry must dig deep into her personal life and keep tabs on the local rare book dealers. During the hunt, however, the detectives discover they are being followed by a pair of Soviet spies, who also want the Verne and are willing to kill to get it.

From the desert to the docks, Kit and Henry scramble to stay one step ahead of the Russians and the fast-unraveling Dreiland. For Marlene and the coded secrets she holds, however, time is running out. To save Marlene and thwart the treacherous mission of the Russians, Kit and Henry must put all of their hard-won skills to the test. When it's do-or-die time, however, they know success will only be measured in raw courage.