Bestselling author Jack Henry is suddenly on the brink of bankruptcy. With bills mounting and the IRS calling, he realizes that he has a major problem on his hands. But who is to blame for his declining fortunes? Certainly not Jack himself. The fault, he determines, lies with his agent, Stan Wycoff - who takes 15% of everything Jack makes for doing absolutely nothing.

Jack needs a way out of his dire financial predicament - and fast. And then he remembers that both he and his agent have substantial life insurance policies on one another. If Stan were to die unexpectedly, Jack would cash in...

But can a famous crime writer commit the perfect crime?

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This story also appeared in The Rich and the Dead: An Anthology (5/02/2011)

The rich are very different from you and me. Blessed by great wealth, they can get what they want, even what they shouldn't have. Cursed by great wealth, they become the targets of others who will risk everything to become affluent.

In THE RICH AND THE DEAD, bestselling author Nelson DeMille introduces twenty original tales by today's most elite mystery writers who explore the life (and death) styles of the rich and infamous.

In Ted Bell's "The Pirate of Palm Beach," an arrogant society columnist feels the unsociable—and deadly—backlash from his poison pen.

In Lee Child's "Addicted to Sweetness," a swaggering drug lord plots a nasty payback against a thieving underling.

In David Morrell's "The Controller," a seasoned protection specialist may need to be protected from the mercurial finance titan who purchases his services...and tests his loyalties.

From multinational boardrooms to palatial mansions to exotic playlands, these suspenseful, gold-standard tales reveal in scary, funny, and riveting ways just how much trouble money can buy.

Featuring stories by Nelson DeMille, Ted Bell, Peter Blauner, Karen Catalona, Tim Chapman, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Frank Cook, David DeLee, Joseph Goodrich, Daniel J. Hale, Roberta Isleib, Harley Jane Kozak, David Morrell, Carolyn Mullen, Twist Phelan, S. J. Rozan, Jonathan Santlofer, Elaine Togneri, and Angela Zeman.