[2] The subsequent novels in the series are The Dead Ringer, The Bloody Moonlight, Compliments of a Fiend, Death Has Many Doors, The Late Lamented, and Mrs Murphy's Underpants.

The police dismiss the case as nothing more than the random murder of a back-alley drunk, and so Ed decides to investigate the crime on his own.

Ed enlists the help of his father's brother, Ambrose "Am" Hunter, an itinerant carny, whom he has not seen in many years, and the two of them set out to solve the crime.

Together they wade through a swamp of unseemly characters of the Chicago underworld to expose the real murderer of Ed's father.

The Fabulous Clipjoint, like most of Brown's works, is notable for its solid craftsmanship, atmosphere, and suspense.