This story has been described as a Raymond Chandler pastiche, and little wonder, as it takes place in 1930s Los Angeles, centered around a private eye, the time and place of Chandler's most famous creation, Philip Marlowe. Less well known is the fact that Chandler's last completed novel (Playback) features a central character named Umney (along with Marlowe, of course, though set in the 1950s). Very likely Stephen King's way of paying homage to the 20th century's pre-eminent author of gritty detective novels.