Bøger udgivet af Down & Out Books

There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order.Each episode of Guns & Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag.Episode 1: “Tacos de Cazuela con Smith & Wesson” by Gary Phillips.Episode 2: “Three Brisket Tacos and a Sig Sauer” by Michael Bracken.Episode 3: “A Gyro and a Glock” by Frank Zafiro.Episodes 4-6 of Season One are featured in Guns + Tacos Vol. 2.

Jim Grant is at it again. Knee deep in shit, and shit deep in someone else’s past. So far so normal. Except this time it’s personal, and that’s why the past stings so much. Trouble comes in threes. Always has and always will. If Cole Thornton had recognized that he might have avoided much of what was to come. If he’d realized that the car crash was the start of his personal trifecta he could have moved on before Shelter Cove became a killing jar instead of a safe haven.Before the bodies on the beach and the shootings.And before Jim Grant came looking for him.

A sordid sex tape. A venture capital firm. A secret society of women. A Catholic nun. All have one connection in common: Miriam Cross.Miriam Cross, author, feminist and philanthropist, disappears from her Philadelphia home. A year later, a lonely recluse named Emily Cray is brutally murdered in her bed in a small Pennsylvania town. The police discover that Emily Cray and Miriam Cross were one and the same, but if they know who killed Miriam, they’re not sharing. Miriam’s niece Lucinda wants answers. She turns to the one woman she knows she can trust—private investigator Delilah Percy Powers.As Delilah and her team of female detectives—a militant homemaker, an ex-headmistress, and a former stripper—investigate Miriam’s death, they uncover more questions than solutions. Why had the famous author been living under a new identity? Who were the women seen coming out of Emily Cray’s home at all hours of the night? Did Miriam have a mysterious lover? What was Miriam’s allegiance to an international secret society of high-powered women? What was the famous author doing with a New York venture capital firm?As Delilah and her staff get closer to the truth, they become submerged in a criminal underworld of unfathomable cruelty and greed with implications that go far beyond the gruesome death of one woman or the boundaries of one country. Eventually Miriam’s fight for justice becomes Delilah’s own...until Delilah’s obsession with finding the truth proves just as deadly.Praise for A DARK HOMAGE:“A Dark Homage is masterful. Wendy Tyson’s novel is more than a compelling mystery, it’s a detailed, honest examination of tough-as-nails women who refuse to be intimidated, no matter how dark the story turns. Tyson skillfully turns from humor to tension in the span of a single sentence, and readers will be left wanting to know what happens next with Delilah and her team. A must read.” —E.A. Aymar, author of The Unrepentant(Previously published as The Seduction of Miriam Cross.)

Los Angeles in the 1940s. World War II is raging. But people find escape in the upbeat swing music of the black nightclub scene on Central Avenue. Bobby Saxon is one of the few white faces in a sea of black at the famous Club Alabam on Central. He comes to watch the Booker ‘Boom-Boom’ Taylor Orchestra—a swing band. But he doesn’t only want to watch—he wants to join the band. He’s pretty good on the 88s (the piano) and band-leader Booker lets him audition.Bobby gets his wish and finds himself playing on a temporary basis with the band for the “swells” on the Apollo, a gambling ship, just outside the legal limits of U.S. waters off the coast. But soon all hell breaks loose when Hans Dietrich, a German man, doing business in America gets into a fight with the band’s sax player, James Christmas. After the band’s next set, Dietrich’s dead body breaks through a false ceiling in the ship’s ballroom. And James is the prime suspect.The cops shut the ship down. And with the band unable to work now, Booker makes Bobby an offer: help clear James of the murder charges by playing detective and finding the real killer and he can have a permanent gig with the band. Booker thinks that Bobby, with his white skin and white privilege (though not a term used then) and boyish good looks, can go places Booker can’t to find the real killer, since he doesn’t trust the cops to do their job for a colored man.Bobby’s investigation takes him on a labyrinthine journey through the worlds of nightclubs, gambling ships and gangsters, corruption, anti-Semitism and racism. He also comes across David Chambers, an old high school friend, who may or may not be involved, as well as the dead German’s secretary and her tough and seemingly crazy boyfriend, Sam Wilde.Bobby’s determined to solve the case and get a permanent gig with the band. But he also needs to come to terms with his own double-life and secrets that he’s not ready to reveal to the world.

Rushmore McKenzie is a former cop, current millionaire, and an occasional unlicensed P.I. who does favors for friends. Yet he has reservations when the daughter of his girlfriend Nina Truhler asks him to help her father, Nina’s ex-husband Jason Truhler, a man in serious trouble.En route to a Canadian blues festival on Highway 61, he met a girl, blacked out, and awoke hours later in a strange motel room with the girl’s murdered body on the floor. Slipping away unnoticed and heading home, he thought he got away with it—until he started getting texts with photos of the body and demands for blackmail money he couldn’t afford to pay.McKenzie soon discovers that Truhler was set up in a modified honey trap. But Truhler’s version of events wasn’t exactly the truth, either. And McKenzie soon finds himself trapped in the middle of a very serious game involving teenage prostitution with some of the most powerful men in the state on one side and some of the deadliest on the other.Praise for HIGHWAY 61:“Rushmore McKenzie agrees to help Jason Truhler, the ex-husband of his lover, Nina Truhler, in Housewright’s solid eighth novel featuring the Twin Cities ex-cop who occasionally does ‘favors’ for friends. Jason appears to be the victim of a variation on the badger game when he attended the Thunder Bay Blues Festival in Ontario. He woke the next morning in a cheap hotel room, naked, with a dead girl on the floor, lots of blood, and no memory—now he’s being blackmailed for murder. Trying to unravel the scam leads McKenzie into a morass involving an Internet sex ring, drug dealers, a pair of thugs called Big Joe and Little Joe Stippel, arsonists called Backdraft and Bug, and some of the Twin Cities’ most powerful people. The tenacious McKenzie bounces between cops, bad guys, and movers and shakers with a tenuous hold on legalities but a good grasp on ethics.” —Publisher’s Weekly“In his latest favor (see The Taking of Libbie, SD), Rushmore McKenzie is at his best as he muses over the outcome of good intentions in a caper that is too close to home. The story line is fast-paced as the hero figures out the motel game, but unprepared for the truth about Truhler. Instead of case closed, McKenzie finds deadly felons with ugly intent and even more lethal powerhouses with uglier intent targeting him. Readers will think twice before venturing on Highway 61.” —Mystery Gazette“As the title would suggest, this novel proves to be one of author David Housewright’s most fast-paced endeavors. The author consistently creates top-grade, expertly written mysteries. There’s much to like about the delectably smart-alecky Rushmore McKenzie and his insider’s take on The Cities. He’s the kind of guy whom many women would like to date, and whom many men would like to have as a friend. After all, he’s big on the favors.” —Shine from Yahoo

Shortly after her brother, Stormy, is convicted of the brutal murder of a classmate, seventeen-year-old Lizzy Greiner is found dead in an abandoned mountain shack, the result of an apparent suicide by fire. Next to Lizzy’s charred body, investigators find several of her journals, safely stored inside a fireproof box. It soon becomes evident that these journals contain a narrative that Lizzy wanted the police read, the truth that she wanted them to know.Detective Russ Buchanan is tasked with determining the veracity of her narrative, including Lizzy’s belief and obsession that the mysterious and murderous Lantern Man is haunting the mountains near her family’s house. He interviews family members, teachers, and classmates; he studies her psychologist’s extensive case notes. And he learns that Lizzy isn’t the only one who believes in the Lantern Man. After generations of ghost stories, is it possible that the Lantern Man actually does exist, a real-life boogeyman? Did he have something to do with the murder? Or is he simply a figment of Lizzie’s deluded imagination, an attempt to rationalize her brother’s brutality? The further into the investigation he delves, the more Buchanan questions everything he thought he knew about Lizzy’s death and the murder for which her brother was convicted.Praise for THE LANTERN MAN:“The Lantern Man is an extraordinary novel that defies categorization. With shades of Stephen King, Silence of the Lambs, journalism, and author Jon Bassoff’s own groundbreaking vision of how to use the printed page to give readers the best story possible, The Lantern Man is a landmark novel that will make you wonder, marvel, and remember.” —James Grady, author of Six Days of the Condor“The Lantern Man is disorienting in the best sense of the word. Jon Bassoff masterfully blurs the lines between genres—no, scratch that, among genres—by creating a hellish hall of competing mirrors, each holding its own twisted version of the truth. The Lantern Man is a true shape-shifter of a novel. It’s one that will remain with readers long after the last page.” —Lynn Kostoff, author of A Choice of Nightmares and Words to Die For“An engaging and immersive mashup of mystery and horror, Jon Bassoff’s The Lantern Man offers a dizzying world of clues interlacing the disappearances of several girls with the mythology of a local boogeyman. Bassoff weaves a tight and creepy tale through a series of mediums: a girl’s diary, police transcripts, a detective’s notes, newspaper articles, letters, photos, and sketches. The result is an exceptionally creative, compelling, and dark whodunit that will leave its readers, like the Lantern Man himself, hungry for more.” —Carter Wilson, USA Today bestselling author“The Lantern Man is a brilliant—and terrifying—puzzle-box narrative that dares you to keep reading. It's the kind of book that you better cancel any plans you might have before you start.” —Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse“Ever been eyebrows deep in a horrifying investigation? You’re about to be... Part memoir, part case file and completely absorbing, The Lantern Man is a compelling pastiche on the verge of madness.” —Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire mysteries, the basis for the Netflix drama Longmire“A genre-bending novel—an original, captivating mystery that might pave the way we write crime fiction forever.” —Jax Miller, author of Freedom’s Child

Welcome to the world of Cockney rhyming slang, where what is said means something completely different than how it sounds. Originally, it was a coded language created by criminals for deceiving undercover police officers during Victorian times. Common phrases like septic tank, holy water, brown bread, tomfoolery and mince pies don’t mean what you think they mean. Others, like Barnaby Rudge, gypsy’s kiss, smash and grab, butcher’s hook, kick and prance and bubble and squeak paint a picture.There are stories to be written about these phrases and in Trouble & Strife, the coded and colorful phrases of Cockney rhyming slang became the inspiration for eleven killer crimes stories from writers on both sides of the pond. A few choice words include:Babbling Brook is a talkative inmate at the state penitentiary.A hairdresser has to pay his dues for a crime that took place at Barnet Fair.And you never want to meet a Lady from Bristol.You don’t have to understand rhyming slang to enjoy this book. You just have to enjoy a damn good story. To see what the authors have come up with you'll have to turn the page and have a butcher’s.Edited by Simon Wood with stories by Steve Brewer, Susanna Calkins, Colin Campbell, Angel Luis Colón, Robert Dugoni, Paul Finch, Catriona McPherson, Travis Richardson, Johnny Shaw, Jay Stringer, and Sam Wiebe.

When Anderson West takes on the pro-bono case of Jessica Smith, a twenty-something restaurant hostess being stalked, the last thing he expects is for his investigation to spiral into breaking and entering, assault, and legal threats from the suspects and the victim.But that’s what happens when you run a private investigation firm with your rule-breaking, loose-cannon sister at your side.While Anderson spends his time deducing and interviewing possible suspects, Carrie handles interrogations in her own unique—and personal—fashion. And it seems like everyone is a suspect. There are Jessica’s ex-boyfriend and current boyfriend, her incredibly creepy boss and the suspicious reverend at her church who definitely seems to be hiding something.Or someone.The closer Anderson and Carrie get to an answer, the more danger Jessica finds herself in. Her stalker’s notes become increasingly more threatening, trading the scary phone calls and text messages for terrifying photographs and notes at her gym, work, and home. To make things even more complicated, Jessica’s backstory begins to unravel, and the secrets of her past could potentially solve everything…if only she’d let Anderson and Carrie in.With time ticking down, will the brother-sister investigative team be able to solve Jessica’s case before she tries something foolhardy, like facing up to the tenacious bastard on her own, armed only with a handgun and a prayer?

In this issue, pioneering TV writer and producer April Kelly opens with a wicked story that may remind you to pay attention to what you eat.Brendan DuBois appears with the story of an assassination and its aftermath—from the killer’s point of view.Ray Daniel & Kellye Garrett team up with a story that brings together characters from their own series.Our feature is by Walter Satterthwait, who comes at us with his first new story in a while. The lead character, Fallon, helps—in his own way—solve a murder at a monastery.Edgar Award-winning author Sylvia Maultash Warsh brings us a piece about deception in the world of art, and we welcome Benjamin Boulden back with his second story for us.Robb T. White returns following his Best Mystery Stories of 2019 entry in our pages, and Dane F. Baylis, Richard Prosch and Richard Risemberg debut in our magazine with some of the most entertaining crime fiction you’ll find.

Frank “Jelly” Nash was dead. And since the notorious bank robber was shot in the head in 1933 during a daring escape attempt, he was deader than most. So why was he sending letters and emails to Rushmore McKenzie, asking the retired cop, unexpected millionaire, and unlicensed P.I. for help?To answer the question, McKenzie joins forces with Ivy, a beautiful woman from his past—and her boyfriend—in a frantic search for $8 million in gold that Jelly stole just before his death. But they aren’t the only ones looking. So are a couple of two-bit thugs, a woman named Heavenly, a local big-wig with much to hide, and an odd assortment of ne’er-do-wells.The search delves deeply into St. Paul, Minnesota’s colorful and infamous past as the treasure-seekers scurry for clues. In the early 20th century, St. Paul was an open city—a place where gangsters could come and stay unmolested by the local authorities as long as they committed no crimes within the city limits. John Dillinger, Bugsy Siegel, Ma Barker’s murderous brood, Alvin “Creepy” Karpis, Machine Gun Kelly, Pretty Boy Floyd, notorious gunman Vern Miller, and yes, Frank Nash, were often spotted frequenting the city’s clubs and casinos, and their activities are carefully examined as the rivals dual each other.The treasure hunt turns unexpectedly deadly when the boyfriend is shot dead outside of Ivy’s apartment. Suddenly, McKenzie is looking for more than a legendary stash from seventy-five years ago, he’s looking for a stone killer and the long-hidden truth behind Jelly’s gold.Praise for JELLY’S GOLD:“In Edgar-winner Housewright’s enjoyable sixth novel to feature Rushmore McKenzie readers get a dual treat as the likable PI deals with a parade of present-day sharpies and gold hunters, while Housewright retells the story of the wholesale corruption that for decades made St. Paul a playground for a who’s who of gangsters, including John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and others who hobnobbed with St. Paul’s upper crust.” —Publishers Weekly“Housewright not only writes a compelling historical mystery here, but also engages in reconstructive history, using contemporary accounts to trace Nash’s movements in 1933. He also employs a nifty device to bring the history into the novel, careening between McKenzie and other seekers of the prize and Nash’s own words cast into fictional form. Readers will learn a great deal of fascinating information, including the fact that Nash’s nickname Jelly stands for his favorite safecracking device, nitroglycerin. Top notch.” —Booklist, starred review“A clever entertainment driven by an amiable protagonist—Housewright’s best in quite a while.” —Kirkus Reviews“If you haven’t discovered Housewright, you’re in for a real treat—this is a real gem from one of America’s best crime novelists.” —Lansing State Journal

Shrapnel Wounds is the combat memoir of Lieutenant Tom Crowley, an enthusiastic and highly trained U.S. Army enlistee and Officer Candidate School grad who enters combat in Vietnam in mid-1966.Highly regarded by his infantry platoon and strongly encouraged by his superiors to become a professional soldier, Crowley almost inadvertently examines the system by which career officers are shepherded through to higher and higher rank—and increasingly rejects that system over the course of his one-year combat tour.

Texas has it all, from bustling big cities to sleepy small towns, and law enforcement alone can’t solve every crime. That’s where private eyes come in. They take the cases law enforcement can’t—or won’t. Private eyes may walk the mean streets of Dallas and Houston, but they also stroll through small West Texas towns where the secrets are sometimes more dangerous. Whether driving a Mustang or riding a Mustang, a private eye in Texas is unlike any other in the world.The Eyes of Texas features seventeen original tales of Lone Star State private eyes from Trey R. Barker, Chuck Brownman, Michael Chandos, John M. Floyd, Debra H. Goldstein, James A. Hearn, Richard Helms, Robert S. Levinson, Scott Montgomery, Sandra Murphy, Josh Pachter, Michael Pool, Graham Powell, William Dylan Powell, Stephen D. Rogers, Mark Troy, and Bev Vincent.

Home Invasion, a novel in stories, looks at two generations of the Batch family over forty years, and the ways in which alcohol, petty crime, poor parenting, and bad choices have had a negative impact on them.Each story in the book advances their journey by a number of years. The stories can stand alone but read together tell a tale that is both unique and familiar.Home Invasion examines poverty, poor education, crime, sexual identity, parenting and other contemporary issues.

A small-town stickup explodes into the big-time street battle that gets Jim Grant exiled to the States. Jim Grant is one of the best cops in Yorkshire but the tactics that earn respect from his fellow officers draw the scrutiny of the brass. When a Discipline and Complaints inspector feels he's gone too far Grant is placed on suspension.Stopping at an all-night diner to flirt with his favorite waitress helps ease his mind-until a couple of goons with baseball bats show up. Never one to leave a damsel in distress, Grant takes matters into his own hands.And it all goes downhill from there.Praise for SNAKE PASS:"Campbell's gritty noir style and hard-hitting action scenes mix well with Grant's dry wit, making this fourth series installment a rollicking good time." ¿Library Journal"Crackerjack entertainment: taut, gritty and full of devilish twists." ¿Kirkus Reviews

Homicide cop Bobby Dunston's daughter has been kidnapped, taken in broad daylight on a city street in the middle of September. The kidnappers demand a million dollars and force Dunston to get the ransom from his friend Rushmore McKenzie. It soon becomes apparent to both of them that one of the kidnappers is childhood pal Scottie, a once aspiring drummer now gone astray, and that the kidnapping is payback for "crimes" they committed in their past.Of course McKenzie, a former cop and now unlicensed P.I., handles the ransom drop-off and the child is returned safely. But Scottie is soon brutally murdered (maybe that's Mac's fault and maybe it isn't) and someone takes out an open contract on McKenzie, using his own money to pay for it. Dodging attempts on his life from assassins of all shapes and sizes, McKenzie now has precious little time to uncover the mastermind behind it all if he's going to survive.Praise for MADMAN ON A DRUM:"Hate, revenge and old-fashioned greed propel Edgar-winner Housewright's stellar fifth mystery to feature former St. Paul, Minn., cop Rushmore McKenzie. Housewright's chivalric noir hero never fails to charm, whether mourning a St. Paul that's lost much of its colorful, if shady, past or busting a bestial dogfight entrepreneur out in the chilly countryside. Against a realistic Minnesota backdrop, this homage to Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer raises cutting questions about crime and punishment and today's price of friendship and loyalty. Of course, McKenzie knows it's all about money, but Housewright makes it so fresh and real it hurts." -Publishers Weekly, starred review"Housewright returns with another noir-tinged mystery starring St. Paul detective Rushmore McKenzie. Lots of narrative momentum and exciting scenes." -Booklist"McKenzie's subtle humor keeps the tension from boiling over, but don't expect any breaks in the action." -Minnesota Monthly

Then…May's life had been just fine.Not happy and miles from meaningful, but fine. She lived on an out-of-the-way island fittingly named Folly. She existed as far from other people as she could manage. The distance let her to drift from memories of her careless parents, graying recollections of the life taken from her, and a sea of her own bad decisions.Hustling here and there as a small-time weed dealer on the crystal coast allowed May to live like a hermit in the off season. Save one cold night in November, just before a killing storm made landfall.Now…The island is left unlivable, and May, like so many others, has become a refugee. Drifting and wandering. Blindly trying to start life over. In this foggy chaos she treads to keep her head above water and to steady and buoy poor Tommy, a boy who might be too far gone to rescue.Meanwhile…Four hundred miles away, in a small dying town hidden high in the mountains, a disregarded teenager named Curtis and his unwilling sister Vicki run from the consequences of his violent proclivities. In a gassed-up Mustang, they head east, to the crystal coast, where they can hide and start over. Just like everyone else.After the storm comes a different danger.Praise for AFTER THE STORM:"Opening in the aftermath of May's climatic and life-altering storm, After the Storm continues to give voice to Marietta Miles' complicated and complex heroine, May Cosby. Atmospheric, yet shot through with tension, Miles' third novella proves her mastery of the Southern Noir genre, distilled down to its purest essence: dark, harrowing and razor-sharp with unapologetic authenticity." -Steph Post, author of Miraculum"After the Storm is the type of darkness that shines. A diamond stuck in the sludge that follows a disaster. Miles' writing reminds me of fight scenes in classic ninja movies: rainy, violent, emotional, and packed with danger. This is a tale of refugees and survivors, but lacks the clichéd hope permeating most of its kind. No, this is gloomy like the worst storm, and it'll leave you feeling like a tree after that storm: unhinged and broken. The difference is, unlike the tree, you'll be asking for more." -Gabino Iglesias, author of Coyote Songs"Although she's published as a crime author, Marietta Miles once again fools everyone and defies all genre expectations, focusing on subtle, but all-too human emotional conflict, showing the struggle to rebuild not only after physical and natural disasters, but personal, intimate ones as well. And in After the Storm, she shows that sometimes those efforts fail." -Richard Vialet, Black Guys Do Read"In After the Storm, Marietta Miles celebrates the human condition in all of its messiness and glory, whether it's May struggling to stay afloat or Vicki suffering in the wake of her brother's violence. The prose crackles with menace as you're taken on a journey that manages to not only be harrowing but surprisingly hopeful. Miles has the uncanny ability to navigate through the most wretched aspects of the human psyche amidst the bleakest of conditions with fragility, nuanced heart, and unwavering grace." -Sarah M. Chen, author of Cleaning Up Finn"If you care about working-class novels, then you need to be reading Marietta Miles. She delves into the boredom of life and exposes its horror. After the Storm is not about looking for a way out, it is the about people trying to survive until tomorrow. Marietta Miles's books will wreck you." -David Nemeth, Unlawful Acts

Border tensions are escalating to bloody violence; terrorist attacks on small-town American citizens and petty squabbles in far-flung locales threaten countless more lives.Welcome to America, circa 1916-1918, and two of the bloodiest conflicts that starkly defined an era.Teenage Hector Lassiter, an aspiring author inspired by propaganda and a siren's song of throbbing war drums, lies about his age, mounts a horse, and storms across the Mexican border behind General "Black Jack" Pershing and George S. Patton to bring the terrorist and Revolutionary General Pancho Villa to justice.Soon, the still underage Hector is shipped off to the bloody trenches of France, fighting the so-called "War to End All Wars" where he meets fellow novelists-in-waiting John Dos Passos and Ernest Hemingway.Once A World is a love story at once epic and intimate; a portrait of the artist, and his country of birth, at a defining moment in their storied history.Edgar- and Anthony Awards finalist Craig McDonald, author of the internationally bestselling Hector Lassiter series, delivers an adventure novel and historical thriller for the still-uncertain 21st Century.Praise for Craig McDonald:"The competition for the future of crime fiction is fierce, as it should be, but don't take your eyes off Craig McDonald. He's wily, talented and-rarest of the rare-a true original. I am always eager to see what he's going to do next." -Laura Lippman"With each of his Hector Lassiter novels, Craig McDonald has stretched his canvas wider and unfurled tales of increasingly greater resonance." -Megan Abbott"Nobody does mad pulp history like Craig McDonald. Reading a Hector Lassiter novel is like having a great uncle pull you aside, pour you a tumbler of rye, and tell you a story about how the 20th century really went down." -Duane Swierczynski"A writer of truly unique voice, approach and ambition." -Michael Koryta

McKenzie has a lot of old girlfriends. But only one went on to marry the current governor of the state of Minnesota. And only one is calling him with a desperate request to meet in secret. The First Lady is carrying an email that contains a nasty rumor about her husband, and the truth is buried decades deep in a small town's history.Of course McKenzie always has plenty of time on his hands and is in the business of handling such matters for his friends. So he heads straight into the governor's past, planning to poke around and see if he can stir up a little information. Before long, someone starts poking him back, and it's clear that he has stirred up nothing but trouble. McKenzie is soon shifting through a complex web of interlocking secrets and lies, some decades-old, and some rooted violently in the present day.Praise for PRETTY GIRL GONE:"Housewright's unapologetically flawed hero charms, while the clean plot lines, palpable Minnesota winter and understated humor make this a good, satisfying read." -Publishers Weekly"This is the third McKenzie mystery, and it's turning into quite an interesting series: solid premise, tight plotting, and this time more depth in character development, as Housewright explores McKenzie's emotional side." -Booklist"Pretty Girl Gone is an incredible addition to 'Cold Case' mysteries, joining the likes of recent books by Michael Connelly, KJ Erickson, Mary Logue, and Reed Farrell Coleman. Housewright artfully portrays the hopelessness of a group of men who's defining moment happened when they were teenager's; of pitiful lives spent chasing a memory soured by tragedy and deceit... McKenzie is an entertaining and engaging character, and in this, the 3rd novel in the series (following A Hard Ticket Home and Tin City), appears all too human... Pretty Girl Gone is a complex, thoroughly enjoyable addition to what is becoming one of our favorite mystery series." -CrimeSpree Magazine"(Housewright is one) of Minnesota's most dependable practitioners of the craft... McKenzie is good company...with a wry sense of humor, often aimed at himself, and a quick, accurate take on people and places. While certainly not an errant knight in the tradition of Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker, he's a good man who's wise enough to know that he will disappoint himself." -Minneapolis Star Tribune

Frank Thompson, a recent widower and aging Vietnam veteran is down from Maine visiting his nephew, Bill, and his family in New Jersey.While at a trap range, he and his nephew have a chance encounter with a strange man who claims to remember Frank from the war.That night, the windows in Bill’s home are shattered along with the quiet peaceful lives the two men had been living.Three veterans from a special combat unit directed by the CIA during the Vietnam War have gathered to discuss what they are going to do about a man they claim killed one of their own over forty years ago.Jasper, Birdie and Pogo were part of a team that called themselves the National League All Stars. They were a squad of psychopathic killers trained by Special Forces to cause death and mayhem during the war. Now, they have banded together to hunt down and kill the professional soldier who led them all those years ago.Drawing on his military training and a resurgent bloodlust from his tortured past, Frank prepares for a final, violent reckoning that will bring him full circle with the war that never left him.Praise for THE DEAD DON’T SLEEP:“The Dead Don’t Sleep is a skillfully plotted, fast-moving thriller brimming with a believable cast of characters, especially the indelible Frank Thompson, an old-school hero who I hope to see more of.” —David Swinson, author of Trigger and The Second Girl“Russo’s The Dead Don’t Sleep is a pulse racing, chest thumper of a novel.” —Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of What You Break“Imagine if Rambo had lived a quiet, undisturbed life in Maine until, many decades later, the ghosts of the Vietnam War came after him. That’s roughly the premise of The Dead Don’t Sleep, a gripping, highly readable contemporary thriller with a strong emotional undercurrent. Steven Max Russo has done a magnificent job rendering the unique hold Vietnam continues to claim on thousands of its veterans.” —Brad Parks, international bestselling author“The Dead Don’t Sleep is a well-crafted, tense, suspenseful thriller in which hatred that’s lasted a lifetime explodes into violence with uncontrollable consequences.” —Thomas Perry, Edgar Award-winning author of The Butcher’s Boy“A dark tale of vengeance and redemption, complete with mystery, secrets, and a longing for new adventure. A delectable and poignant read.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Malta Exchange“The Dead Don’t Sleep is white-knuckle, nonstop action, a story of hard men at their limits and grudges that never die.” —Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of House on Fire

For the first time in print two novellas in the pulp paperback tradition of fast and no-punches-pulled noir.In White Hot Pistol Jacy needs to get out of town and away from her stepfather, Brian. The only one she can turn to is her estranged brother, Nash. But getting away won't be easy. Throw in a bag of cash, dark family secrets and a town cop who doesn't want them to leave-who also happens to be the very man they're trying to escape-and you've got a pulpy ride down the dark alleys of Noir. First time in paperback.In Blood on Their Hands Garret and his friends get more than they bargained for with a teenage prank gone wrong. Now killers are after them and the one man who could help them can never know. Friendships will be tested and these young men will see what they're really made of and if they'll even make it out of their teen years alive. It's a violent coming-of-age story and pulp fiction at its action-packed best. Never before published.Praise for Eric Beetner:"If Beetner had been around in the 1950s, he could've had a nice career writing for Gold Medal or Dell First Editions, and that's a high compliment from me." -Bill Crider, author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series"Eric Beetner is the standard by which all current hardboiled and noir writers should be judged." -Paul Bishop, author of Lie Catchers"Beetner is an old school talent, a crime writer's crime writer like Gil Brewer (although, in my humble opinion, he's better than Brewer), who writes stuff that is fast and funny and dark all at once." -Jake Hinkson, author of Hell on Church St. and No Tomorrow"Few contemporary writers do justice to the noir tradition the way Eric Beetner does. Others try to emulate and mimic; Beetner just takes the form and cuts his own jagged, raw and utterly readable path." -Gar Anthony Haywood, author of Assume Nothing, Cemetery Road and the Aaron Gunner series