Contains two Donald E. Westlake novellas, A Travesty and Ordo.

THE MOVIE STAR AND THE MOVIE CRITIC - HOW FAR WOULD THEY GO TO KEEP THEIR SECRETS BURIED?

In New York City, movie critic Carey Thorpe has just murdered his girlfriend - well, one of his girlfriends (not to be confused with his wife). Unfortunately for him, the crime comes to the attention of the police. But fortunately, one of the detectives is a big fan of his movie reviews, and an unofficial crime-solving partnership is born. But will Carey - who thinks of everything in terms of classic films - be able to keep walking the tightrope necessary to keep all the crimes he's committing from earning him the film noir ending he deserves?

Meanwhile, on the opposite coast, movie star Dawn Devayne - the hottest girl in Hollywood since Marilyn Monroe - gets a visit from a Navy sailor named Ordo Tupikos. He says he knew her back when she was just ordinary Estelle Anlic of San Diego. In fact, he married her, not knowing she was just 16 years old (she lied about her age; the marriage was annulled). Now she's a big star who's put her past behind her. But secrets have a way of not staying buried...