It's Halloween season, year 2000. The discovery of a severed head in a Schiaparelli hatbox is no Halloween prank, however. For Jim "Beers" Biersovich, security chief for the La Scala department store in downtown Minneapolis, it signals the start of a complex case that requires every bit of brainpower he and his assistants can provide.
As abruptly as the head appears, it vanishes, and Beers is charged with retrieving it and learning why it showed up in the store. The victim is a former co-worker at the Minnesota Herald, a crusty sportswriter who made lots of enemies. Beers is pressed to find people who didn't want Harry Devin dead. Suspects pile up as Beers consults with his brain trust: Freddie, another sportswriter who knows a good bit about Harry's background; Lena, a jewelry saleswoman with technical savvy; and Tina, a cosmetician with street smarts.
There's inane conversation, red herrings, bizarre dreams and musical interludes, along with a bit of romance, that keep Beers distracted throughout. In the end, his rock music knowledge, as always, provides the final pieces of the puzzle.
