Trybulski's anti-hero, the gritty attorney doherty, is back with a vengeance in one-trick pony, the latest entry in the doherty series of mysteries. one-trick pony follows the continuing exploits of doherty, the hard-bitten former brooklyn prosecutor who now languishes as an attorney for the new york city department of education. his former boss, brooklyn d.a. turned federal judge cynthia milligan approaches doherty and offers him a deal he can't refuse: the largest pay day he ever dreamed of and a ticket to any top law firm he wants. but there is a violent and bloody catch. milligans's daughter was studying in paris when she was recently kidnapped and the wealthy and powerful milligan, about to be nominated to the supreme court and now publicity shy, wants the girl back with no muss and no fuss. doherty flies to paris to look for the missing girl and quickly finds himself caught in the sights of an unknown group of killers. calling in the aid of his shadowy army pal hank jackson, the pair clash with a mysterious terrorist cell, and they soon realize nothing is what it seems. and as the chase carries them from paris to the narrow streets of marseille to the vineyards of bordeaux, the bodies pile up and it isn't long before doherty questions whether it is all worth it. and when the trail finally ends up in berlin during the championship match of the world cup soccer tournament, doherty and hank learn that the kidnapping is only part of a much more monstrous plot to plunge europe into political chaos and to lay the blame on the unites states. a plot they may not be able to stop.