Death Has Three Lives: A Mike Shayne Mystery (Dell 1828)

Before she met Mike Shayne, Lucy Hamilton was just another young woman living in New Orleans. She shared an apartment with her best friend, Arlene, a vivacious young thing with a thousand gentleman callers, but none were as debonair as Arlene's brother, Jack Bristow. Since she started working for Shayne, Lucy hasn't had any time for beaus, and she hasn't thought of Bristow in years—not until the day he shows up on her Miami doorstep begging for help. He collapses, blood seeping from a wound in his chest, and Lucy helps him to the bedroom, knowing that he's minutes from death.