Haughty, phonily seductive Mona Fox Yeoman summons Travis to Esmeralda, Texas, and earns his instant dislike. Before he can refuse to work for her, she is murdered, and her husband, big-time operator Jass Yeoman, hires Travis to find out why someone would have wanted to kill her. So McGee takes a deep breath and begins to delve into the workings of the feudalistic, patriarchical society of the town to find the answers. Some people think this book might have inspired the TV series "Dallas". McGee's friend Meyer appears for the first time in this third novel of the series.