I was a big fan of Stephen Greenleaf back in the 70s and early 80s so when the publisher offered me a chance to reread them via Netgalley, I took advantage. I'm sorry to report that this novel did not age well. It's still a very good noir mystery, but it's stuck in a version of the 70s that seems artificial and irrelevant today. That means it's neither anchored in an important era, nor timeless.

The work is a mashup of Raymond Chandler's [[ASIN:B000FA64VO The Big Sleep]] and Ross Macdonald's [[ASIN:B004CFAZKY The Underground Man]] with plenty of late 70s color thrown in. We have the antiwar radical of the 60s on the run from a possible murder charge resulting from an ROTC bombing, a minor-league Symbionese Liberation Army, crusading investigative journalists; all set in an atmosphere of paranoia, depression and disgust at the results of the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll of the 1960s.

The almost-humorously convoluted plot is handled with precision and skill, and there's plenty of snappy dialog and exciting action. The investigation is as realistic as the crimes are fanciful. However, unlike Greenleaf's best work, the characters are flat and the surprise ending is not based on deft reversal of a social assumption.

I recommend this book as a good noir murder mystery and as an illustration of some of the delusions common at the end of the 1970s. But it's not up to the standard of the author's later work, such as [[ASIN:B019PQQJ9U Southern Cross]] and [[ASIN:B003T0G9AS Past Tense]]. If you want early Greenleaf, start with [[ASIN:B019PQQJNG Grave Error]]. Otherwise his work from the mid-80s to mid-90s, including the non-series books, are more likely to please.

Interesting tale of father-son dynamics and loyalties. Personalities were well-drawn, as were the interactions between characters. Just enough suspense to keep you turning the virtual pages. Recommended.