Black Robe Killings

When a close friend, Bruce Wilcox, a Cook County judge, dies of a flu-like virus, Private Detective Deuce Ryker, an ex-Chicago cop, pays his respects to widow Margaret, who hires him to find out why her husband died.

Within short order, Ryker learns that more than one judge has died under the same odd circumstances during the past two weeks. In fact, there were three dead judges. To make matters worse, while helping Margaret clean out her late husband's office at the Cook County courthouse, Ryker discovers some hidden files. Their work is interrupted by Judge William Worthington, whose office is next door to Judge Wilcox's. Ryker gets suspicious of Worthington.

During the early morning hours he returns to the courthouse to search for more evidence in Wilcox's office and decides to expand his search to Worthington's office. He discovers a million dollars in cash hidden in a secret safe in Worthington's desk.

Ryker calls an old police partner of his, Chicago Police Detective Robert Roland, to help him in handling the legal side of the investigation. Ryker soon finds himself and Detective Roland caught between the Chicago mob and the New York mob in a takeover struggle. New York wants to move into Chicago quietly, without much ado and take over, but first they have to get rid of Chicago's top Don, Bruno Gianessi.

Without choice they have to join forces with a tough Illinois Attorney General, Melissa Manigoni. By joining forces with her, Ryker faces the chance of going to prison for burglarizing the county courthouse and stealing a million dollars.