Originally written under the pseudonym of E. V. Cunningham during the era of blacklisting, this tale of a woman whose past repeatedly eludes a down-on-his-luck private investigator is accompanied by Fast's account of his experiences during the blacklist. 25,000 first printing.

Blacklisted writer Howard Fast published about thirty books under the name E.V. Cunningham. As he writes in the forward, he is finally claiming these books as his own, and he's especially proud of Sylvia. The narrator has a wonderful whiskey-soaked voice which is excellent for this mystery novel. He is a little less successful with women's voices than men's. If the dialogue sounds stilted, it's the aging of the writing, not any reflection on Daniels, who has the right voice for the novel. The production values are very high. E.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine