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We Cannot Escape The Past A year after his wife's sudden death, Matt takes a cross country road trip with her ghost in the passenger seat. Along the way, he revisits his past and the moments he shared with her-the moments that have shaped who he is and who he will become. Through the Dark explores the nature of love and regret, pain and hope, sorrow and healing, showing how our actions ripple throughout time and affect everyone around us. Daily takes on love and loss through a haunting blend of realism and romanticism. His characters are well-drawn, and his themes are delivered with insight and atmosphere. Through the Dark is a painfully poignant novel that explores the power of relationships and the promise of letting go.-James Wade, MPIBA and Spur Award-winning author of Beasts of the Earth A beautifully spare literary telling, Brandon Daily's Through the Dark maps an evocative journey navigated by a grieving widower, his wife's ghost, and memories-an odyssey of self-discovery exploring humanity's need to be part of something greater than ourselves.-Robert Gwaltney, award winning author of The Cicada Tree

The underbelly of Los Angeles, 2008; a place where hometown hard-lucks and wayward hustlers scrounge for hope in gutters. Top of the heap: Alvi Drake, an aged pro skateboarder whose lone thrill is a pill-fueled escape from the terror of past ghosts. Once news hits of the disappearance of an old flame, Alvi's plummet smashes through rock bottom, sending him on a quest to find her. With help from his fellow damned (Mongo, Chester and Faye), he spirals through neon wilderness, stumbling upon an underground of sex and drug trafficking, the depths of which street life has yet to take him. Blinded by love and dismissing the reality of his actions, this hunt for another lost angel could be the biggest mistake in his track ridden life. Praise for The Neon Lights are Veins "Knight's slangy prose is a perfect fit for characters whose dreams die slowly or explosively." -Publishers Weekly "The Neon Lights Are Veins is a dope-fueled gutter-punk odyssey through a gaudy nightmare version of Los Angeles. With echoes of James Ellroy and Nathanael West, Knight carves out his own bit of L.A. crime-writing turf in this impressive debut." -Richard Lange, author of Dead Boys, This Wicked World, Angel Baby, Sweet Nothing and The Smack "Nolan Knight has written a dark, dirty and entertaining sewer ride through the neon-lit streets of Los Angeles. Imagine Nathanael West and Darby Crash writing a 21st century noir and you've got The Neon Lights Are Veins. Highly recommended." -Jim Ruland, author of Forest of Fortune, My Damage: The Story of a Punk Rock Survivor and Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion "Nolan Knight is at the forefront of Hard-Ass-Noir. He's the mad hatter of words and dark moody storytelling. He's a creative crime-pugilist!" -Frank Bill, author of Crimes in Southern Indiana, Donnybrook and The Savage "Nolan Knight's The Neon Lights Are Veins is unlike anything I've read before (and that's saying something!). The novel's story is a fast-paced mystery and caper, dragging the reader through the underbelly of the Los Angeles night, but most impressive is Knight's style: in your face and no-holds-barred." -Steph Post, author of Lightwood and Miraculum "High action. Very fast paced. A great read. Highly Recommended." -S.W. Lauden, author of Bad Citizen Corporation and Grizzly Season

Things in Napa Valley are not as they seem. Everyone wants to get into the wine business, but at what cost? When the co-owner of Pavesi Vineyards goes missing there are few clues to his disappearance. When his remains unexpectedly turn up, dark forces loom large. FBI Special Agent Rowan Parks is assigned to the case and quickly realizes that the Bureau needs someone on the inside. There is only one person to call, her former lover, and ATF's greatest undercover operative, David Ward. Deep Purple Cover is book #4 in the Deep Cover series, following Ward's debut in Deep White Cover, Deep Green Cover and Deep Red Cover. Praise for the Deep Purple Cover "Joel W. Barrows' Deep Purple Cover has flavors of mystery and dark motives with fragrant twists. Medium-bodied and knowledgeable of the subject matter, the aroma of the novel is robust in its procedural qualities with just a hint of thriller. Interesting characters also make it perfect for the bookshelf where it will pair nicely with a Baldacci, a Sandford or a Coben. Deep Purple Cover is a truly notable vintage." -Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire Series "Deep, dark and authentic. Great characters. Great read." -Colin Campbell, author of the Jim Grant thrillers "Something's rotten in California wine country, as noted by the discovery of a decapitated head floating in a barrel of fine wine. Whether you're a wine connoisseur or not, you'll dig Deep Purple Cover, Joel Barrow's latest twisty, gripping fact-based whodunnit mystery thriller. Watch the sparks fly as FBI agent Rowan Parks hooks up with her former love, AFT undercover agent David Ward, to solve the case." -Charles Salzberg, twice nominated Shamus Award author of Second Story Man and Swann's Last Song "Barrows proves to be a masterful storyteller with his tale of deadly dealings in the fertile vineyards of Napa Valley." -Stephen Burdick, author of Deemer's Inlet and The Gray Detective "With a full cast of captivating characters and a zig-zagging plot stuffed full of twists, Deep Purple Cover burns along to its end. Star of the Deep Cover series, undercover agent David Ward travels to a California vineyard to aid in investigating a heinous murder and the layers beneath it. Who knew wine was so bloody?" -Ryan Sayles, Derringer-nominated author of the Richard Dean Buckner hard-boiled PI series

It's the kind of offer only Henry Malone would get: Local strip club owner Wallace "Bada" Bingham wants Henry to run for sheriff of Parker County, West Virginia, and he's willing to back the candidacy. But while Henry considers the proposal, Bingham's got an additional job offer: Investigate the robbery of a money-counting room at a washed-up country musician's concert. Indecent proposals, semi-pro wrestlers, and a dead body soon follow, and Henry, along with his well-armed A.A. sponsor Woody, soon discover Bingham's not telling him everything. To find the answers, catch the killer, and retrieve the money, Henry and Woody must put everything at risk and confront the forces who want control of Parker County-no matter what the costs, or who has to die. Praise for Books in the Henry Malone Series: "James D.F. Hannah is the real deal... (He) shows with this book he has no trouble holding his own against Robert B. Parker and Lawrence Block." -Dave Zeltserman, author of Small Crimes and Pariah, for She Talks to Angels "Friend of the Devil is a blisteringly paced tour-de-force of the American underbelly, packed with crackling dialogue and pulse-pounding violence." -Nick Kolakowski, author of Boise Longpig Hunting Club and Absolute Unit

Tom Harper, a Vancouver Island realtor, has the client from hell, Ali Page, a beautiful and intelligent young lawyer returning from the mainland to take up a job with an island law firm. Trouble is there's always something wrong with the properties Tom shows her, always a reason not to commit. Finally, after they find a condo she likes, he receives a text thanking him for his help. Ali signs off: I'm sad we won't get to spend more time together. Often cold and withdrawn throughout their weeks of searching, Ali's words seem strangely out of character. The texts keep coming, increasingly incoherent and disturbing. What does Ali mean by: we have a special connection, and why on earth would she say: I'll be here for you when you leave your wife? Happily married, Tom cannot understand why a woman not much older than his teenage daughter is suddenly obsessed with him. When he rejects Ali's unsolicited advances, Tom soon discovers the sinister depths to which a delusional mind will sink to obtain what it wants. Isolated and seemingly abandoned by the police and legal system, this is the story of one man's struggle to rescue his marriage, his family, and his sanity in the face of overwhelming psychological and physical torment. Praise for WATCH FOR ME: "Deliciously creepy with a twist you won't see coming!" -Helen Hardt, #1 New York Times bestselling author "I read spellbound as Tom Harper's life is demolished brick by brick. Assured, remorseless writing, that grabs the reader and doesn't let go. Highly recommended." -Michael Ridpath, author of The Diplomat's Wife "I absolutely loved this book. One of the best I've read in ages-gripping, thrilling and pretty scary!" -Alex Pine, author of The Christmas Killer "This is an outstanding novel that got its hooks in me from the first page. I love the laser-focused storytelling-the terror of Ali Page is evident in every line. It's like a clinic on how to write a thriller, every beat of the plot is perfectly placed." -Chris Rhatigan, publisher of All Due Respect Books "Compelling reading...Psychologically gripping...Haunting storytelling. Young, attractive-and mentally unhinged-Ali Page is some men's dream girl, but one man's worst nightmare. Watch for Me will have you flipping the pages until the cathartic surprise ending." -Bryan Quinn, author of The Package and No Good Deed Goes Unpunished "Riveting, from the beginning to the end. Once again, Bodenham catches you by surprise with his twists. Capturing the essence of the Pacific Northwest, Watch for Me is a must read." -Tracie Ingersoll Loy, author of the Hartz Island Mysteries "When Tom helps young Ali Page to find a new home, he knows that something isn't right. When she begins to obsessively text him, his world falls apart. As we enter the dark mind of a fantasist living amidst the claustrophobic confines of an island, we plunge into a disturbing world with no way out. This is an unsettling tale of one woman's illusions that leave devastating consequences in their wake." -Jackie Bateman, author of Straight Circles "Martin Bodenham's Watch for Me gives us a stalker villain for the ages with Ali in this fast-paced, tightly-written thriller that calls to mind Fatal Attraction, except Ali will do more than boil your bunny; she's out for blood and ultimate destruction!" -Lee Matthew Goldberg, bestselling author of The Ancestor

The more things change, the more they stay the same in Penns River. Stush Napierkowski has retired, replaced by retired Boston PD captain Brendan Sullivan. Nancy Snyder was promoted to deputy chief over several more experienced candidates. New officers join the department. Crime pays no attention. A woman dies in a hit-and-run the night before Sullivan officially takes over. Patty Polcyn was seen by plenty of people while in the company of a man no one recognized, who may-or may not-drive a car consistent with tire marks left at the scene. The investigation demands an intensive search that requires manpower Penns River doesn't have and loses steam as the day-to-day concerns of police work require immediate attention: domestic disputes, petty theft, not so petty theft, armed robbery, a visit from the Dixie mafia to shake down the town's moonshine dealers, and a few things that are the responsibility of the police only because no one else takes care of them. Sullivan doesn't want the first homicide on his watch to be an open file and tasks Teresa Shimp, the most junior detective in a squad already down one, to spend as much time as she can on it. It's Teresa's first gig as primary homicide investigator. She sticks with it, going back over things to see what might make more sense as her knowledge of the case's facts expands until she has a eureka moment. Sullivan's approach differs from Stush's enough to cause friction in the department, and a personal dilemma for lead detective Ben "Doc" Dougherty. Doc also has his parents' failing health, a dramatic change in the domestic situation of two young men he has become close to, and finding an old friend has colored outside the lines vying for his attention. Penns River's cast changes, as do the roles they play. The job is still the job. Praise for LEAVING THE SCENE: "A small town, a killing, and a cast of characters tough enough to make Elmore Leonard grin. Dana King's Leaving the Scene is a slow burn that will leave you wanting more. A great read!" -Bruce Robert Coffin, bestselling author of the Detective Byron mysteries "Great read-ensemble cast, police procedural in a tough, blue-collar-town, with good reminders of classic Ed McBain. Gritty and authentic detail, with realistic, interesting characters and crimes." -Dale T. Phillips, author of A Memory of Grief and A Darkened Room "Dana King's Leaving the Scene delivers the goods-a procedural packed with smart dialogue, sharp plotting, and a vivid humanity that brings to mind the best of McBain, Wambaugh, and Connelly." -James D.F. Hannah, Shamus Award-winning author of the Henry Malone series. "With interweaving plots and quickfire dialogue, the relentless pace of Leaving the Scene is highly addictive." -Caro Ramsay, Dagger-shortlisted author of the Anderson and Costello mysteries

Lucky Number Seven of EconoClash Review presents nine quality cheap thrills of neo-pulp lunacy that will push the envelope of genre limitations. Themes of hard luck and ill fate weave throughout this fresh anthology featuring: time slipping lovers, day-drunk step-dads, fantastically stoned fairies, brawny tavern heroes, haunted beauty queens, underestimated female lawmen, blown-cover spies, smack fiend postmen, and even honest to God cowboys. All of them fighting to survive worlds they unwittingly created themselves. Whether you find top notch schadenfreude to be your guilty pleasure or anonymous up-vote, the seventh issue of ECR is your lucky ticket to a world of quality cheap thrills. Read original stories by Simon Broder, J. Travis Grundon, Angelique Fawns, Matthew X. Gomez, Willow Croft, Russell W. Johnson, Scott Forbes Crawford, Kevin M. Folliard, and Mack Moyer only in EconoClash Review #7 from Down & Out Books.

Dya is a girl from the deepest end of the ocean. Though likely nearing one hundred years old, she nonetheless looks to be-and for all intents and purposes is-a sixteen-year-old girl. Once, while very young, Dya ventured too close to land and found herself on a pebble beach off the coast of Maine where she came face to face with another young girl named Mary Louise. Though from completely different worlds, Dya and Mary Louise became very close (and secret) friends. Dya returned often over the years to visit Mary Louise, each time spending more and more time on land, and wanting less and less to return to her home in the deep. However, it was starting to become clear to Dya that she could not keep splitting her time between the two worlds, as it was literally, physically, tearing her apart. Soon she would have to decide-will she give up the sea once and for all and live out the reminder of her now shortened life in a world in which she'll never truly belong...or will she remain in the deep and pine forever for the life she truly wanted? Back home beneath the sea, Dya is torn about what to do. For as much as she loves and misses her friend on land, and has fallen madly in love with the land itself, she's afraid to leave the ocean world. This is not only because it is all she has ever known, but because her people are feral and aggressive folk by nature (particularly the men), besides being ferociously secretive and isolationist. They will not take kindly to having one of their own abandon the deep for the land, and there may very well be brutal and devastating consequences. The world of her people is an ancient culture, largely unchanged for thousands of years. And like any young immigrant caught between the modern world and that of her people, she fears what could happen if these very different worlds were to collide. Finally she decides to make the commitment once and for all, come what may. And with that, she makes the journey upward, and casts her fate to the whims of the coastal winds... Praise for THE SONG IN THE SQUALL: "The Song in the Squall is a unique and musically-charged tale of wanderlust, growing pains, and bonds that run deeper than the sea." -Jessica McHugh, author of Rabbits in the Garden and the Darla Decker Series "Great young adult literature often explores the power of friendship. Add a component of magic, and the quest to find out what is really important in life, and you have the basic elements of a great story. Add a sharp, focused writing style and you have Nathan Singer's The Song in the Squall. Original and compelling-do not miss it!" -Carolyn Haines, USA Today bestselling author of the Sarah Booth Delaney and Pluto's Snitch mystery series. "Nathan Singer's The Song in the Squall is a glorious book, redolent with the taste of the salt sea and the sharp odor of an approaching thunderstorm. Dya is a young girl making the difficult transition from the depths of the sea to the land, finding friendship as well as conflict along the way. Dya, Molly, Malik, Mary Louise, and the other characters are drawn with emotion and an unflinching honesty that grips the reader's heart and refuses to release it until the final, bittersweet conclusion. Open this book and follow the shimmering footsteps in the sands. You won't regret the journey!" -Stephen Leigh, author of Crow of Connemara and A Fading Sun

Six years after his Flight of the Fox ordeal that dubbed him the American Prometheus, humble math professor Sam Teagarden becomes embroiled in another mission involving decoding a secret document provoking tragic reactions around the world. Unearthed in northern Israel, the ancient parchment is called the Q Document, for the German word quelle, meaning: source. Biblical scholars believe it may be the original source for the two Gospels: Matthew and Luke. If decoded, it could shed light on the creation of the world's most widely observed religious faith.

A reluctant assassin is born. A con man tries to sell the Grand Central clock. A superhero is dying to lose her powers. In thirteen fast-moving stories, the author of Hipster Death Rattle explores the tragic world of noir fiction with a wide range of Latinx characters. These stories define noir as tales of people who fall not from great heights but from the stoop and the sidewalk. A follow-up to the author's Roachkiller and Other Stories, which received the Spinetingler Award for Best Anthology/Short Story Collection, this contains a sequel to that anthology's eponymous story. Praise for NOIRYORICAN: "It strikes an authentic tone that rings true to my seasoned ear. The array of characters encompasses the Nuyorican experience devoid of sentiment or artifice. Score one for the home team." -Edwin Torres, author of Carlito's Way "With considerable style, poise, and humor, Richie Narvaez's Noiryorican unpacks a world of grifters, street punks and hangers-on just trying to get by in the big city when the odds are stacked against them. At his street poet best Narvaez gives Jonathan Lethem and Junot Diaz a run for their money. I loved this collection."-Adrian McKinty, bestselling author of The Chain "In this eclectic collection of noir stories, Narvaez takes the reader across the boroughs of New York City, Puerto Rico, LA, and Texas. Open this book and take this ride through the mazes of Narvaez's imagination."-Ivelisse Rodriguez, author of Love War Stories

The day she turns fifteen Zoë ditches high school in Chandler, Arizona, and is picked up by an elderly man driving a step van turned into a laboratory. He promises to teach her all he knows if she trusts him to take her where she is fated to go. On their way to Illinois, they find themselves in the middle of an animal rights activists' liberation of the creatures in Topeka's Zoomorphological Wonders of the World and take aboard two companions from an infamous bestiary. From Topeka they travel to an abandoned movie theater in Pittsfield, where war-horse and inventor Skelton builds a miniature version of the CERN particle accelerator. From there they go to Paris and from Paris they drive south to Lacoste, where the story culminates with a confederacy of the wealthiest men in the world gathered in the garden courtyard of Marquis de Sade's castle to sell Zoë into sex slavery to the highest bidder, while Zoë's step-father, half-crazed with grief, is bidden by guilt to drive to the Chandler Fashion Center and confess to the bewildered employees of Victoria's Secret his unsuccessful attempts to molest his step-daughter, and to absolve his sins with V-strings and thong underwear knotted into a noose. At turns absurd, poignant, and comic, Zoë is a quicksilver phantasmagoria and enchanted road trip unlike any other, where travel is spectral and the traveling companions, if not real, are temporary visitors from imaginary worlds sent to show a girl lost in the moronic inferno of 21st century America the best way to her brightest possible future.

This second issue of Goliad Review contains work by award winning authors, critics, and poets. It features new poetry from American poet Cynthia Cruz; an essay on the state of literary criticism by William Logan; an excerpt from working-class fiction author Patrick Michael Finn's new novel. Plus, new work from Jesse Graves, George Singleton, and much more.

Richard Burgin is the five-time Pushcart Prize-winning author of 20 books, including the novels Rivers Last Longer (2010) and Ghost Quartet (1999), and nine story collections including most recently Don't Think (2017) and Shadow Traffic (2011). He is the founding editor of the internationally acclaimed literary journal Boulevard. "Darkly captivating stories…Burgin deftly explores his characters' most sacredly held fears with a tenderness that makes the reader exalt in their small triumphs. Burgin shows admirable range in this collection, which is hugely varied in both style and form, and while there are clear standouts, there's not a single throwaway." -Publishers Weekly "Richard Burgin's writing is the most lucid and daring of any writer writing today." -Stephen Dixon "Richard Burgin's tales capture the strangeness of a world that is simultaneously frightening and reassuring, and in the contemporary American short story nothing quite resembles his singular voice." -The Boston Globe