The majority of the dialogue occurs in a hip California parlance that is entertaining, captivating, comical, and sometimes annoying. He is a down, but not out, musician who makes his living from small gigs while trying unsuccessfully to write artistically and commercially successful music. When his erstwhile spy acquaintance offers several thousand dollars to entice Paul a homeless ex-friend to move into the Manor for observation, economics supersede personal abhorrence. No explanations are given for the baby-sitting need, but an individual soon dies while suspiciously close to Paul. The Manor is suddenly crawling with bad guys and Paul becomes a most unwelcome boarder.
Enemies are numerous.
The plot of this novel is so tangled as to resemble Mad magazine's Spy Vs Spy spoofs. However, keeping the teams of spies correctly identified is more difficult since the bad guys camouflage their intent by driving white cars. The author does not poke into any deep social crevasses, but there are some nearly profound racial and ethnic moments. With the white musician seeking soul, the Jewish intellectual practicing chess, and the Black man mastering a butterfly knife, the reader realizes how cockeyed a stereotype can be. The lead character is a charming guy, and this novel is fun.