When Vince Palermo, a ruthless crime czar, sets private eye, Sep Lemeled, on the cold trail of his missing 18-year-old daughter, Bethany, Lemeled finds himself involved in more than he bargained for. Deception, betrayal, perversion, and violence dog his every move. And, then there's the red-hot million in bearer bonds Lemeled foolishly agrees to "baby-sit" as a favor to a half-pint grifter who's nothing but trouble. Tracking Bethany takes Lemeled to La Crosse, Wisconsin, and then to Los Angeles where he discovers that the bearer bonds case and his search for Bethany are not separate, but in fact connected in unforeseen and ominous ways. Violence erupts. Corpses multiply. Sep Lemeled finds Bethany, only to come to a shocking end. As he struggles to find answers, Lemeled realizes the costs have been far greater than the rewards. Sep Lemeled adds a new dimension to the crime novel tradition of Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, and Lew Archer. He lives in the storied Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. His "office" is the back booth of the Waldorf Bar. He plays by the only rules he trusts - his own. Relying on intellect, intuition, and imagination rather than facts, Lemeled navigates a world where both light and shadow can blind you; where the forces of good and evil do battle for control of your destiny; where conscience is negotiable; and where free will comes with a staggering price-tag. Much more than a detective story, DON'T BE A STRANGER takes you deep inside Sep Lemeled"s mind and heart to reveal a complex character for our times. Within the fierce action of the book there lives a tender love story and an enigmatic morality tale. DON'T BE A STRANGER, is destined to become a crime classic.