D Is For Deadbeat(1987)

Sue Grafton

The client came to Kinsey Millhone with an easy job -- just deliver $25,000 to a fifteen-year-old kid. A little odd, and a little too easy, but Kinsey took Alvin Limardo's retainer check anyway. It turned out to be as phony as he was. In real life, his name was John Daggett, a chronic drunk with a record as long as your arm and a reputation for sleazy deals. But he wasn't just a deadbeat. By the time Kinsey caught up with him, he was a dead body -- with a whole host of people who were delighted to hear the news. But how do you make a stiff pay up what he owes you?