Shell Game — H. Max Hiller

A change of venue from south of I-10 to Missouri has no effect on Detective 'Cadillac' Holland's ability to ruffle feathers, break rules, and bring a disturbing surfeit of firepower into play to right a wrong...several, in fact.

A phone call out of the blue from and old military school classmate - and a disconcerting visit from that classmate's sister - leads Detective Holland to inadvertently stumble upon yet another global issue: antiquities theft. In his usual fashion, he manages to foist his unique approach upon every level of law enforcement from a small-town Missouri sheriff to the FBI and beyond, while skirting not only the law but the unexpected lurking danger of suffering the ultimate retribution from his Iraqi nemesis, the politically connected Habib family, while searching for an elusive shipping container of cultural artifacts stolen from the Iraqi National Museum.

Allies are hard to come by when no one is who - or where - they seem to be, and everyone is out for their personal gain at the detective's expense.