Pick Up A Pulp [44]: KILL NOW, PAY LATER by Robert Terrall

The third book to feature Private Investigator Ben Gates is a fun pulp which puts the PI in a perilous predicament after being drugged on the job - thanks to drinking from a coffee pot containing more than just caffeine. 

Hired to guard wedding presents for a wealthy couple, Gates wakes from his drug-induced slumber to find a couple of dead bodies and a cop pointing the finger firmly in Gates' direction as a key suspect. Additionally there's a large sum of cash missing; Gates knows he's got to work to a) clear his name, b) catch the killer(s), and c) find the missing bundle of cash.  

Accessible to new readers, Kill Now, Pay Later has all the hallmarks of a 1960's era pulp; dangerous and devious dames, a web of suspects, and a protagonist who finds himself irresistible to members of the opposite sex. 

The plot splinters off into many directions as the investigation lands Gates in hotter and hotter water but author Robert Terrall manages to keep all the threads tied together, wrapping up the mystery in a tight bundle at the end.

My rating: 4/5 stars. This was a re-read which still hit all the right notes the second time around.