Retired homicide cop Sam McGowan is putting his life back together after losing his wife to cancer. He’s beginning to come around when his attention is suddenly grabbed by a tragic incident in his apartment building. The landlord has apparently fallen to his death from the twentieth floor. City Hall is content to regard it as a suicide but Sam’s ex-partner isn’t so sure and asks Sam to "have a look around" for him.  It doesn’t take long for Sam to discover that the landlord was despised by every one of the tenants. If he is looking for suspects, the line is a long one.

One of the first characters that Sam meets is Mrs. Muddridge, an elderly lady with a lively attitude and a nose for the goings-on on the twentieth floor.  She seems to know a little bit about all of the residents.

Another apartment dweller is Walter, a somewhat mysterious small time movie producer who just might have a blackmail gig going on the side.

Down the hall are Tamara and Shayla, a couple of college girls who are supporting themselves by running an X-rated webcam service out of their boudoir.

And then there are Larry and Jerome Siegal. These two brothers are real fruitcakes. They started a small catering business delivering sandwiches to office lunchrooms, but as enterprising young men, they soon recognized that if they expanded their menu to include marijuana, their profit would rise exponentially. The problem was that augmentation of their business included ties to the Mexican mob.

Another resident is Jill, a pretty but understated jazz singer who entertains at local nightclubs. Jill takes a definite interest in ex-cop Sam McGowan.

What makes this book work is the variety of snappy characters, all of whom are interesting, quirky, and fun. Maleeny’s writing style reminds me of Tim Dorsey or Steve Brewer.  He keeps things outrageous enough to be totally entertaining from beginning to end. And the murders don’t seem all that bothersome.