The Lucky Duck Affair. Mel Gilden

In need of a vacation, private detective Amos True and his companion, Polly St. Jough, accept an invitation to relax aboard Otto Laird's slightly illegal gambling ship, the Lucky Duck. Joining them are movie starlet Clair de Lune, enthusiastic writer Ruth Booth, and a number of other suspicious characters. But True soon learns about Laird's ulterior motive for inviting him and Polly out to sea. The Lucky Duck has become haunted by the ghost of Captain Henry Robbins, a smuggler who years ago commanded the ship. When first one guest and then another is murdered, the ghost of Captain Robbins is the main suspect. Can Amos, with the help of Polly, uncover the real culprit? Another great off-beat mystery by the author of Dangerous Hardboiled Magicians!