It’s 1983, and a wild weekend at the Jersey shore can lead to serious trouble, or to lifelong happiness. Which is it for newlyweds Alan and Helen Kay Campbell? Alan’s father, computer mogul Ian Campbell, didn’t really approve when Alan married his Jersey shore girlfriend, but still, he gave the young couple a house as a wedding gift. That was the year before. But now someone has sold the house at a loss for quick cash, and Alan and Helen Kay have vanished. The only clue is a note pad in the kitchen on which someone has repeatedly scribbled a single word: Freak, Freak, FREAK. Worried, Ian Campbell hires New York private detective Dan Fortune, who figures either they’ve run away for some reason the father doesn’t know, which would be typical, or they’re victims, perhaps kidnapped, maybe worse. On the hunt, Fortune discovers what he hadn’t expected – some strange relationships in Ian Campbell’s cutting-edge computer company. Why is the vice president for security trying to find Alan on his own? Plus there are two menacing strangers looking for the pair, too. When Fortune runs into a brutal murder, it’s evident Alan and Helen Kay are in danger. From an affluent New Jersey suburb to the resort towns of the Jersey shore and sleazy one-night-stand hotels of mid Manhattan, Fortune tracks the kids to a surprising place – Arizona. Or is it surprising? The case explode into a nightmare of terror, and Fortune fights for his life as he uncovers the true reason for Alan Campbell’s disappearance and follows the trail of murder. "Plenty of suspense and enough sex and rough stuff to satisfy just about any reader." - Asbury Park Press "Taut, fast, and literate." - Kirkus Reviews "Fast-moving and quite unpredictable, with crisp, direct storytelling." - Chicago Tribune "[Lynds] has the ability to set in motion a sequence of events that moves with the inevitability of a huge boulder rolling down a mountainside." - New York Times Book Review Dennis Lynds wrote some 40 books and 200 short stories. His Dan Fortune novels are considered one of America's most classic and beloved series of detective mysteries.  He won numerous awards including the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Private Eye Writers of America. His work was chosen for Best American Short Stories and Best Mystery and Suspense Stories. A teenage rifleman in World War II, he came home with a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. He went on to earn degrees in chemistry and journalism and was a New York magazine editor for many years.  Born in 1924, he died in 2005.  Obituaries celebrating him appeared around the globe. His career had lasted more than fifty years. "To spin tales as intriguing and thought provoking as Lynds's for decades is a remarkable enough achievement. Even more remarkable is the sustained quality." - Los Angeles Times