c crime novel featuring a unique protagonist. It's a multi-layered mystery intensified by the intrigue of a Middle Eastern con game, and a desperate search for a pair of dental crowns that may not even exist.

Rick Rose, a young dentist, loses his license to alcohol and by the time he gets it back, his practice has evaporated. In order to make himself relevant again, he takes a job identifying corpses for the San Franciso Medical Examiner.

Following a dental exam on his first John Doe, Rick is forced to take on the role of a detective as he franticly searches for the man's identity.

The hunt takes him into the sordid world of murder and espionage, where he digs himself a hole which is difficult to climb out of.