Summer is winding down. For Jimmy McSwain, it's been a quiet couple of months, leaving this apprentice private investigator with little to do. Be careful what you wish for. Jimmy is asked by his boss to accompany his wife Beatrice to a fancy art gallery opening down in Manhattan's Soho district. The drama begins when the artist who goes by the name Rico pulls a disappearing act on the night of his big debut, leaving the owners of the Barrister Gallery stunned, not to mention the hoity-toity snobs expecting to meet the man behind the "Beauty at Death" show.  The owners claim Rico has been kidnapped. Jimmy thinks their reaction is a bit extreme. Nevertheless, he agrees to take the case, even as he begins to suspect he hasn't been told the whole story. Especially when the Barrister owners say no cops.  With a growing sense of menace, Jimmy finds himself doubting his ability to solve the puzzling case. How does he find the truth when all he's heard is lies? He fears someone could end up hurt -- or worse, dead -- on his watch.