Eddie Devine wants to flee to paradise—the Big Island of Hawaii. But his wife is against the plan, he’s broke, and, stickiest of all, he’s connected to the recent disappearance of millionaire Nate Quigley. Not good for an ex-con on probation. To make things worse, Eddie’s held up by the Queen of Free Spirits, Naomi Butler, with whom he had a prison romance via mail.

Years earlier, Stephen Fargo had shown flashes of brilliance as he clawed his way through betrayal, perversion and murder to unearth the secret of the Blessing clan. Now he grieves over the death of his wife, hangs out in a pool hall full of ex-cops, and plays computer chess for hours. That begins to change when Fargo agrees to try to find Eddie Devine.

Meanwhile, contract killer, ex-con, performance poet, and Ozzie Osbourne look-alike Kevin “Butch” Pellet, a.k.a. Crank, kills people for the mysterious Mr. Code, and reads at slams for all the female attention he can get.

As the bodies pile up, a caller to a talk radio show claims responsibility for Quigley’s murder, and three generations collide to blow the lid off twenty years of secrecy.