Lovejoy decides that one double-cross deserves another as he comes to the rescue of a pretty girl in trouble and indulges Charlie Gimbert 's passion for jade.

With Junk or otherwise, death invariably yields up a fresh supply of objects to the antique trade. But old James Bexon saw everything in Pairs, and Lovejoy's own life could be at stake.

Murder and theft lead Lovejoy into a deadly game with a mysterious collector, whose passion for antique pistols is strong enough to kill again.