Carroll John Daly 
Conceited, Maybe [EPUB ebook] 
Race Williams #7 (Black Mask)

Race Williams is a man who likes the study people—read ‘em like a book. So, when Mr. Riverity Coe shows up seeking a bodyguard for his beautiful fiancé, Gladys Travers, Race is only too happy to make a quick buck. After all, easy money is always in his line. However, when Mrs. Travers arrives later, it turns out this particular book, and its main heroine, might have a twist in store for Race Williams. A deadly tale of matrimonial blackmail between Mr. Coe, Mrs. Travers, and her actual husband, the dangerous and brutish Jerome, unfurls as Race rushes to flip back the pages on a unusual case that threatens the life of young woman and, potentially, Race Williams himself. Story #7 in the Race Williams series.
Carroll John Daly (1889–1958) was the creator of the first hard-boiled private eye story, predating Dashiell Hammett’s first Continental Op story by several months. Daly’s classic character, Race Williams, was one of the most popular fiction characters of the pulps, and the direct inspiration for Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer.