LAPD bicycle cop-and aspiring homicide detective-Ellie Rush is back on patrol in the newest mystery from the award-winning author of Murder on Bamboo Lane and the Japantown Mysteries. Ellie stops for a friendly chat with gardener Eduardo Fuentes while patrolling one of Los Angeles's premier concert halls. A few minutes later she's shocked to discover him lying at the bottom of a staircase, clinging to life and whispering something indecipherable. Nearby, the father of Xu, a Chinese superstar classical musician, claims Fuentes was knocked down while attempting to steal his son's multimillion-dollar cello-a story Ellie has trouble believing. Meanwhile Ellie has issues of her own to deal with-like the curious theft of her car, a 1969 Pontiac Skylark. But after the gardener takes his last breath and Xu mysteriously disappears, it's clear to Ellie she must act quickly before someone else falls silent . . .