When a woman turns up brutally murdered after leaving a priceless antique violin as collateral for her brother's bail, bail bondsman Herman Jackson is determined to solve the crime in order to clear his name.

"C.J. Floyd, the streetwise, Denver-based bail bondsman and Vietnam vet, gets embroiled in an investigation that reaches back to the building of the transcontinental railroad, leads him to a famous photograph, and has him tangled with eccentric power brokers and collectors who are after a slice of priceless American history"--Provided by publisher.