A novel of a privileged young man’s twisting, troubled journey through Depression-era America: “A great book by a great author.” —Los Angeles Daily News Jack Dillon has been a golden child since birth. Blessed with blond locks, glittering eyes, and a perfect voice, he is the most popular child singer in Baltimore. But when puberty robs him of his voice and the stock market wipes out his family fortune, Jack is forced to rebuild. Over the next fifteen years, Jack will see it all. From Maryland to California and back again, he will become a football star, a soldier, and a tramp. Despite all that life throws at him, he never loses his eye for beauty, or his hunger for a woman he has known since childhood. But to find happiness in the face of the Depression, Jack must learn that no matter how the world has changed him, part of his soul remains as pure as the first note he sang. “James M. Cain is one novelist who has something to teach just about any writer, and delight just about any reader.” —Anne Rice, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Interview with a Vampire