It's an ordinary Thursday evening in July when Shelley Lunt, wife of a merchant banker, is found hanging from a light fitting in a flat off Liverpool's Sefton Park. Unfortunately for Johnny Ace - local DJ turned Private Eye - the flat happens to belong to him.
Convinced that Shelley would never have committed suicide, her sister hires Johnny to investigate. But Johnny barely gets started before he encounters major problems of his own. He is suddenly woken one morning by six policemen smashing their way into his flat, looking for stolen goods - which they find.
Out on bail, Johnny is determined to discover who has framed him and why. And whether it's connected with Shelly's death. But one by one, Johnny's witnesses are found dead . . .