Everyone thought Mike Hammer was dead, shot in a drugs war battle on the docks of New York. But now he''s back from a stay in Florida, and in deeper trouble than ever before. He has the slaying of Marcus Dooley, an old army buddy, to pay back with interest - and two generations of a powerful Mafia family to beat at their own bloody games. Plus, just before he died Dooley revealed to Hammer that there''s a missing cache of $89 billion to find - before the bad guys get their hands on it, and their sights on Hammer.

And to really complicate matters, the Feds have dealt themselves into the action, eager to beat everybody to the loot.

With two rock-hard fists, a well-oiled .45, his beautiful secretary, Velda, and a miracle, Hammer might just make it out of this one alive ...