Deadline

For investigative reporter Mike Battan, his last assignment for The Daily Metropolitan turned personal when his editor, Hammer Clancy, is shot dead minutes after Battan left the office. Battan now finds himself strapped with a deadline of seven days to find and interview Walter Weiss. A cold trail heats up as leads supplied by questionable street sources and crooked ex-cops lure Battan into the underground gambling dens of Manhattan, a secret corporate world and the undesirable New York racetracks.
A year after the story goes to print and the turbulent career ends, Battan opens The Lion’s Claw Lounge. Before Battan lifts his first cocktail as owner, the bar is trashed hours before opening night. Later that evening, Battan finds himself involved with Michele Diamond the voluptuous lead singer of his opening night band Jilted Lover. Michele’s problem isn’t raw vocal cords. Familiar with Battan’s past life as an investigative reporter, she seeks his help in recovering a stolen saxophone. Mike’s gut tells him that with the burden of running a jazz club, he can’t get involved. But standing in the path to reason is the gnawing challenge to oil his investigative skills – and a sincere lust for the sultry Michele. Lust turns to distrust as other people enter the fray for the valuable saxophone.