Toronto in 1958 is the setting for this fast-paced quest novel. Tommy Cochrane is a washed-up boxer with an aneurysm that prevents him from ever fighting again. When Tommy returns to Ontario, he finds out that his grandfather has been dead for several months and the farm that Tommy was to inherit is in the hands of his wicked brother-in-law. He needs to acquire $5,000 (a substantial amount of money at the time) within 30 days in order to buy back the farm.

Tommy is accompanied by his buddy, former boxer T-Bone Pike, as he descends into the Toronto tenderloin in search of quick money. Along the way, the pair encounters a motley crew of denizens, including a young gambler on a roll, a lowlife porn filmmaker, and Buzz Murdoch, who gives Tommy a job as a doorman at his nightclub. And if the situation weren’t already complicated enough, there’s a nasty young boxer on his way up who wants a piece of Tommy.

At the same time, Tommy’s ex-girlfriend, a sharp-witted and cynical torch singer fresh from a failed Hollywood career, blows into town.

The ensuing action is fast and furious, with crosses and double-crosses, as the $5,000 changes hands several times.

The breakneck pace, snappy dialogue, excellent characterizations, and the evocation of 1950s Toronto make this a good evening’s entertainment despite a few anachronisms in the text. For example, there is a reference to the Hank Snow song “I’ve Been Everywhere,” which wasn’t recorded until 1962.

When a novel’s hero gets into desperate trouble, it’s customary for the hero to solve his own problems. Tommy is the hero here, but he doesn’t solve any of his own dilemmas. He continues to make bad choices and is rescued by his friends, weakening the happy ending somewhat.