David Dodge. It Ain’t Hay (1946) 218 pp.
San Francisco tax expert Whit Whitney is dragged into the world of marijuana smugglers when Barney Steele tries to hire him to cook his books in order to hide his illegal income. Whit pretends to be considering the job in order for the SFPD to get a look at Steele. When Whit then refuses to take the job Steele realizes that he is being set up, so he sends a trio of “zoot-suiters” to Whit’s office to pay him off—the hard way. They leave Whit with broken ribs, a bloody head, and an overwhelming desire for revenge. Whit’s pursuit of Steele leads him down a path of drugs, sex, and murder that ends on a wharf in Half Moon Bay.
Herron; Hubin