In 1942, Chicago P.I. Nate Heller and his childhood pal, boxer Barney Ross, join the Marines and see bloody action together at Guadalcanal. Upon his return to gangland Chicago, the shell-shocked Heller more dangerous than ever is thrust into the midst of an inter-gang war to depose Capone s successor Frank Nitti, whose minions are infiltrating Hollywood movie unions. In this crushing finale to rough-and-tumble Nate Heller s Frank Nitti trilogy, Max Allan Collins delves into the damaged psyche of war veterans as a full-on gangland war threatens to explode. As tempers in Hollywood flare-up, Heller attempts to solve a murder committed behind enemy lines, and deal with the drug addiction of his friend Barney. But not even the company of fan dancer Sally Rand can ease Heller s conscience as he is haunted by the events at Guadalcanal even as he s surrounded by the murder and mayhem of Nitti s final, violent days. A serious social chronicle of Chicago s turbulent history as the 30s and 40s gangland capital of America. It s also serious fun a terrific sense of vitality. Marilyn Stasio, New York Times"