The Eleven of Diamonds — Baynard Kendrick

When a notorious gambler pays the ultimate price, a PI is called in to investigate, in this Golden Age mystery by the author of The Iron Spiders.

At Miami's Sunset Bridge Club, Edward Fowler has quite the reputation for playing fast and loose with money -- and women -- until he's found seated at the poker table with an unusual knife in his back. Even more peculiar is the playing card discovered on the table: an eleven of diamonds.

Miles Standish Rice has a reputation too, but it's for his knack for solving bizarre cases. That's why Miami's chief of police wants the private detective's help on this one -- as does wealthy entrepreneur Bruce Farraday. Scraps of a torn check signed by Farraday's son were found in Fowler's hotel room, and the businessman is willing to pay top dollar to clear his offspring of any ties to foul play.

So with an inquisitive mind -- and an expensive appetite -- Rice pledges to solve this strange puzzle of death and intrigue. But entering Fowler's dangerous, high-stakes world means risking everything -- including Rice's life.
Baynard Kendrick was a founding member of the Mystery Writers of America, the holder of the organization's first membership card, and a winner of its Grand Master Award.