Gault's Brock Callahan, private eye, is in reality ex Los Angeles Rams football star Brock "the Rock" Callahan. Other than the fact this detective is often a recognizable retired athlete with a longstanding fan base, this is a typical pulp-era detective series which the lone detective is operating by himself.

Here, the clever bit is that Brock's client is a teenage boy who idolized Brock and wants him to find his missing father. Much of the action takes place in Santa Barbara's thinly disguised Montecito district which boasts old money wealth even the Kardashians couldn't match. Of course, finding a missing dad also involves a twisted murder, dive bars, and plenty of distrust from anyone Callahan deals with in a racially and economically divided town where he is a complete outsider.

I found it to be a smoothly written and enjoyable read, but not that pulpy or hardboiled. A good read, but nothing to rave about. ( )