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 taught himself to follow the clues of a person's life story like a detective. As an ex-Marine, he is accustomed to being firmly in control. But when his car dies in a little town called Mare's Nest on the Carolina coast, he has to admit he's come to a dead end.

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

Surprisingly, quite a lot. And Jake is going to uncover it all, if Dixie doesn't end up shooting him first.