A Spike Tracy Mystery Spike's involvement came about by chance. Phillip (Spike) Tracy, something of a playboy, was being lectured at by his brother the D.A. who had just bailed him out of jail again, when news of the murder came in. With nothing better to do, Spike had decided to tag along as his brother investigates only to discover that he has both a taste and a talent for amateur sleuthing. Spike had vaguely known the victim, the well-off wife of a jewelry seller, who, after a night dancing with a paid escort, is found dead in her boudoir. The question is not so much who killed Cecily Thane as will Spike be able to solve the case before his knack for flippant comments so annoys his brother that he is barred from the case?