Mala Demara, the sultry European beauty and box-office goldmine, has vanished; Mickey Triton, her gangster boyfriend, lies dead in the burned-out hulk of their secret love nest, shot through the head. Marathon Studios needs help, fast, and they know just where to get it: Screenwriter Lauren Atwill and her lover, private investigator Peter Winslow. Both know how to get results and they"ve saved the studio from scandal before. But on her first night on the job, Lauren discovers another man shot dead. The beautiful, phony face of Hollywood is slipping, and there are terrors beneath. Now Peter and the studio bosses want Lauren out of harm"s way. Stay out of the investigation, stay out of trouble, stay out of danger. Let the men handle it. Fat chance.