Thomas Kaufman's follow up to PWA First Private Eye Novel winning Drinking the Tea is a bit more conventional but certainly as enjoyable. Likable Washington PI Willis Gidney returns. When he finds an abandoned baby at a murder scene he decides to adopt her. The Adoptive Services are opposed to this, so he sets out to hire an expensive lawyer. To cover those costs he takes on a job that's not entirely legal, breaking into a warehouse.
Kaufman shows off his knowledge of the movie world with the important plot point of a breakthrough in movie piracy and a few movie business supporting characters.
The style is pretty breezy, sometimes a bit too breezy as the way Gidney takes care of his enemies with a shovel and glue seems a bit too much Keystone Cops and too little Sam Spade. Gidney is a character you will root for, however and the mystery is satisfying.
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