San Diego police detective Finbar Finnegan is forty-something, an aspiring but frustrated actor and - after that third divorce - a committed bachelor. Just when he thinks he's seen it all, he faces a killer more deadly than any psychopath: a 55 gallon drum of the toxic chemical Guthion. That's what two disgruntled truckers are hauling for a waste disposal company. But when they steal some Navy goods to sell on the black market, their scheme goes haywire. Fin joins forces with two impressive female cops on this case - Nell Salter, with whom he has a past; and Bad Dog, with whom he may have a future - if the killing can be stopped.