She was a blond goddess, a box office megastar. Every woman wanted to be her; every man wanted to bed her. But over a year ago Devon Stafford vanished without a trace.

As a biographer, Jake Gannon had taught himself to follow the clues of a person s life story like a detective. As an ex-Marine, he was accustomed to being firmly in control. But when his car died in a little town called Mare s Nest on the Carolina coast, he had to admit he d come to a dead end.

There he met a .38-toting tow-truck driver named Dixie La Fontaine. She was no celebrity, but Dixie had an irresistible sex appeal all her own. What did this down-to-earth woman know about a missing movie star?

Surprisingly, quite a lot. And Jake was going to uncover it all if Dixie didn t end up shooting him first."