From the introduction: A city on the west coast of the USA in the 1950s... Sam Sloan sat in the car. Through the pouring rain, he contemplated Ken Bennet, who stood shivering in the doorway. His gray trench coat was soaked though and stuck to his broad back. Sam's gaze drifted to the bump in the coat that hid a Remington pump-action, then back to the man's tight face. The soaked hat shaded the top of his face, but the wax-trimmed mustache across the wide chin was illuminated by the store's neon signs.