Van Harder, once a hard drinker, has found religion. But that doesn’t keep folks from saying he murdered his employer, Hub Lawless, whose body hasn’t been found. To clear his name, and cear up the mystery, Van asks friend-in-need Travis McGee to find out what really happened. What McGee finds is that Timber Bay is a toug h town to get a break in when you’re a stranger asking questions. But what he also finds is that, dead or alive, Hub Lawless is worth a lot of money. Some are eager to get a piece of that action–and some are willing to take more than a piece out of anyone who gets in the way….