Nicholas Griffin

A phobic con artist and his protege are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the con artist's teenage daughter arrives unexpectedly.

Frank Bigelow is a private detective hired to follow the husband of a St. Augustine socialite. It's a routine assignment until he discovers that he's been secretly poisoned and has only days to live. With the clock ticking, Bigelow descends into a world of crooks and double-dealers, treacherous women and violent men, slashing through a tangle of conspiracies to figure out who "killed" him and why. Along the way, he must also confront the toxic effects of his own isolation. Can he solve the mystery, exact his revenge, and save his own soul before time runs out?

Ex-cop and recovering alcoholic Hank Dolworth partners with his best friend, former criminal Britt Pollack, in an unlicensed private investigation business. The series is set in Ocean Beach, San Diego, California, although it is portrayed as a distinct town, with Dolworth having once been a member of the fictional Ocean Beach Police Department.