Who is Ray Zifkind from A Savage Place: A Spenser Novel and what is their importance?

Ray Zifkind is the mob leader who bails Hammond out of trouble when he makes bad investments that leave the studio in trouble. Zifkind helps Hammond and begins to take payoffs from the studio. When Brewster finds out about this, rather than stop it, he is cut in on the action. It is this relationship that Brewster is trying to hide by killing both Candy and Franco. Zifkind is a powerful man in the mob, and despite the fact that Brewster and Hammond are going to be charged with crimes, Zifkind will most likely go free due to a lack of evidence.