The world looked cheap with all the artificial Christmas trees, phony Santa’s, and plastic reindeer. Then Marlowe meets Tommy, a newspaper boy who is down on his luck. The envelope full of money he found on his dresser may mean something bad. His uncle is a bum and a gambler. Is Tommys uncle on the wrong side of trouble? Marlowe sets out to learn what he can, with the few clues he has to go on.

The trail leads through the world of a gambling ring, and one dame after another. Night clubs, chorus girls, and disappearing bookies all pave the trail as well. Sifting through the mixture of truth and lies, Marlowe thinks he may see where the light at the end of this tunnel is located. I feel some head thumping coming on.

The cops get involved when murder has entered the picture. Can they help Marlowe brainstorm his next step in his investigation? The chase is on, but will Marlowe’s hopes be burned up into smoke? With the cops on his side, Marlowe leads the way with sirens blaring as they close in on a killer. Philip tells all in how the details of the case fit together, but what news will he have for Tommy?