Vanishing Ladies

Phil Colby is just cruising into Sullivan's Corners when the motorcycle cop flags him down. Phil isn't worried;he wasn't speeding, and as a city cop on holiday in a neighboring state, he expects a certain amount of understanding. But the local cop is unimpressed by his brother in blue, and he doesn't buy the story that he borrowed the car from a fellow detective. He drags Phil in for questioning, and a relaxing vacation becomes a nightmare. When Phil and his fiancée, Ann Grafton, finally get free of the local force, the only place they can find to stay is a room in a sleazy motel on the edge of town. When Phil steps out from a shower, there's an underage prostitute in his bed, blood on the walls . . . and no sign of his beloved Ann. To find her, he'll have to tear Sullivan's Corners apart—and destroy the evil that lurks beneath the surface of this peaceful country town. A grim story of sexual slavery, Vanishing Ladies is a novel ahead of its time. From the legendary Ed McBain, creator of the famous 87th Precinct series and screenwriter of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, this is noir at its rawest.