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An anthology of stories to celebrate the April 2024 eclipse in North America. These stories are located in various places and are even of various genres and themes. What they have in common, besides featuring eclipses, are that they are all written by brilliant authors and will all entertain you. Read them before the eclipse, to get into the mood, or after, to nostalgically remember it. During the darkness, all manner of things can happen. When people are distracted by this spectacular celestial event, criminals can operate unimpeded, they can also be caught. Trips to see the event can lead to disaster, or they can save the day. And the science of looking at the sun becomes important when a partner strays. The event can mean many different things to a disaster cult, to drug-dealing Russians, to an artist striving for his grand opus. It spreads across the country to, maybe, give confirmation to a program to analyze the universe, to give a gift to a mermaid in an abandoned water park, to show what the crazy guy at the fast food place is really like, to help a young girl find her way. As a not-so-clever crime goes awry, a hike to view the spectacle is interrupted. Contributors include Cari Dubiel, Katherine Tomlinson, Carol L. Wright, Joseph S. Walker, John Rogers Clark IV, M. K. Waller, Toni Goodyear, Laura Oles, Bridges DelPonte, Eric Beckstrom, Kaye George, Paula Gail Benson, John M. Floyd, Debra H. Goldstein, Michael Bracken, and James A. Hearn.

The Puget Sound region is beautiful, lush with green trees, sun-sparkled waters, wide-open spaces and white-capped mountains. It's also rich with darkness, gunmetal gray skies, rain-slicked streets, and deep shadows that give cover to its darkest secrets. Small wonder that this corner of America is a high-demand lifestyle destination - and, not so long ago, the serial killer and Sasquatch-conspiracy capital of the country. The Killing Rain captures that delicious dichotomy in all its deliciously dark glory, through short stories ranging from the cozy to the hardboiled, all charged with depicting Seattle as a real or imagined place. These crime tales have been collected in conjunction with "Seattle Shakedown" - the name we've given to the return of Left Coast Crime to the Pacific Northwest. It takes place from April 10-14 in Bellevue, Washington, just a hop and skip from Seattle across Lake Washington. And, with enticing forewords from LCC Guest of Honor Megan Abbott and top-rank thriller author Jennifer Hillier, The Killing Rain will be the perfect shivery companion for what's (almost) sure to be the Seattle area's shivery early-spring weather. Edited by Jim Thomsen, who grew up on an island near Seattle and went to boarding school in the shadows of the nearby Green River, at a time America's most prolific serial killer was just getting started. Coincidence? Good crime fiction doesn't allow for it!

Amongst this assemblage are stories that have never been seen before, many of which have appeared in literary journals, magazines, or anthologies, and others that found their way into some of Hess's novels. Crime stories, all, and most on the Noir side of the spectrum. The characters and their environs change, but the trouble never ends. They all bring it on themselves, but that doesn't stop any of them in moments like that. If you know, you know. Even if you don't, you'll be riveted by this stellar lineup of heroes and heroines and the damage they inflict. Critical Acclaim for Pascagoula Run "Miscreants and ne'er-do-wells abide front-and-center-Pascagoula Run and Other Stories is an intriguing collection of suspenseful short story gems, many of them weaved with Hess's deliciously dark sense of character-based humor. I thoroughly enjoyed this potent craft cocktail of nineteen Florida-centric stories blended to savory and spicy perfection." -John Shepphird, author of Bottom Feeders, The Shill Trilogy, and Deception Specialist "In this gritty, somewhat crazed collection of short stories Jeff Hess has fashioned a world both boisterous and despairing. These bold novelistic tales are constantly engaging and memorable. Better yet, they are cinematic and pure fun to read." -Fred Leebron, author of Six Figures, Out West, Welcome to Christiania, and The News Said It Was

Russell Reinhart, a well-known author of private eye novels, is released from the Illinois State Prison in Joliet after serving seven years for the involuntary manslaughter of his wife. He returns to Chicago, welcomed home by his top-flight attorney who tucked away all his millions so no one could get hold of them while he was incarcerated, and rented him an elegant apartment in the Near North neighborhood, half a block from Lake Michigan. Reinert was an only child, adopted when an infant, and now he has no one to whom he can turn. His release from prison is reported by the local papers, and he's contacted by a man he's never heard of named Cole Cabot. A few years earlier, Cabot had married Reinert's extra-curricular girlfriend, Aubrey, who has suddenly gone missing. Russ pleads he's no private eye but just writes fiction about them, but worries his ex-lover has disappeared, so agrees to take on the case. He learns Aubrey was also the mistress of one of the world's richest men in America, Gaylord Ogilvie, at the same time she was with him. Having investigative trouble, he is helped by the young son of a man who met while he was in prison, a huge, half-illiterate black man named Denver Tolliver, who saved his life behind bars several times. Denver was locked up for life after killing a police officer, but his college-student son is brilliant loyal, intelligent and wise. Butting heads with Ogilvie and his minions, Russ also falls heads-over-heels in love with Cassidy Hammond, who he met while taking a Michigan Avenue Beach run for the first time in seven years. His adjustment to new freedom makes life more difficult than he'd ever imagined. When he runs into danger that might turn permanent, he hadn't forgotten how Denver Tolliver had taught him to prison-fight, and he eventually learns he's not that much alone as he thought he was. The first words of this book are identical to the last words in the book, too: "I am an only child..."

"You could well be the worst typist in the Corps. Which is a shame because you could have been one of the best soldiers I ever trained." Sgt Hopkins looked at Pte Grant. "Being good at weapons drills and unarmed combat isn't everything. But what you've done today. That's a different matter." "What have I done today?" "The number one rule of any soldier, combat, clerk or engineer. What every soldier learns. Is that you don't fight for your government, your queen or your country. You fight for the man beside you. You help dig his trench. You watch his back. And you throw yourself on the grenade to save him." "I didn't throw myself on a grenade." "You ruined your career and your future for the man beside you at Waterloo Station. I hope he appreciates what you've done." 3BAPD, Bracht, Germany Before Snake Pass saw Jim Grant sent to America, and before Jamaica Plain saw Grant recruited by Boston PD, and even before the Black Hawk Down incident when he was in the British Army. Before all of that there was Operation Snow Queen. With only two years' service, Grant is posted to Germany after a runaway suitcase at Waterloo Station breaks a civilian passenger's leg. He replaces a Company Clerk who lost his head in an accident, and a smuggling ring that doesn't want him. Following an explosion at the Ammunition Depot, and a court martial in Dusseldorf, Grant is assigned to a training exercise in Bavaria. A place where landslides and falling off a mountain are the least of his worries. Critical Acclaim for Colin Campbell: "Very real. And very good." -Lee Child "No one writes better action sequences than Campbell." -Dana King "There's nothing soft about Campbell's writing. If you enjoy your crime fiction hard-boiled, the Jim Grant series is a must read." -Bruce Robert Coffin, author of the Detective Byron series "A cop with a sharp eye, keen mind, and a lion's heart." -Reed Farrel Coleman "Campbell writes smart, rollercoaster tales with unstoppable forward momentum and thrilling authenticity." -Nick Petrie "Grim and gritty and packed with action." -Kirkus Review "The pages fly like the bullets, fistfights and one-liners that make this one of my favorite books of the year. Top stuff!" -Matt Hilton "An excellent story well told. A mixture of The Choirboys meets Harry Bosch." -Michael Jecks "Sets up immediately and maintains a breakneck pace throughout. Its smart structure and unrelenting suspense will please Lee Child fans." -Library Journal Review "This is police procedural close-up and personal. A strong debut with enough gritty real-ism to make your eyes water, and a few savage laughs along the way." -Reginald Hill

Detective Jan Larkin's career with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is rife with success. But an elevated level of achievement comes at a high personal price. "Echoes of Janie" begins with Jan summoned by her partner, Detective Seeward Sinclair, to examine a body on the shore behind a condominium in Madeira Beach. Jan's exasperation at having her day off interrupted turns to dismay when the victim turns out to be Janie Ballantine, daughter of District Attorney David Ballantine. Hearing of his daughter's murder devastates Ballantine, disrupting his prosecution of crime boss Colby Rittenhouse. As Jan and Seeward delve further into their investigation, a suspect quickly emerges. Daniel Peck, Janie's boyfriend, can't seem to recall what happened between him and Janie the night she was murdered. Evidence uncovered later points directly to Peck. Although Seeward is certain Peck is the killer, Jan begins to question certain pieces of evidence. Days later, when one of Janie's neighbors reports having seen a stranger milling around the condominium shortly before Janie's murder, the detectives' interest shifts to a bodyguard of Colby Rittenhouse. "The Original Thirteen Murders" has Jan called upon to investigate the discovery of a winter visitor found dead on the beach. No leads or witnesses to the case doesn't help matters. The second murder, a young woman visiting her grandparents, provides Jan with a suspect. Time works against Jan, increasing her frustration, until she learns of similar details of other unsolved murders in the area. Playing a hunch, Jan proposes an unusual scenario that suggests a serial killer might be on the loose. Who the killer might be and where he might strike next is the problem facing her. "Shadow Of Deceit" finds Jan looking into the murder of a retired police lieutenant from Michigan. Digging further into his background, she finds his career has been tainted. An unproven association with organized crime makes her suspicious of his lavish lifestyle. Another search of his condominium uncovers a hidden information disc. The encrypted message on the disc reveals the names of the victim and four other men, their bank accounts in the Cayman Islands, and the amount of money in each account. The murders continue but the reason for the elimination of those named on the disc remains unknown until Jan receives a phone call from an unlikely source. Critical Acclaim for The Jan Larkin Mysteries: "The Jan Larkin Mysteries combines the depth of classic noir with the intrigue of contemporary police procedurals to deliver three gripping novellas right up to the jagged coast of the Florida Gulf. With this latest offering, Stephen Burdick is proving his voice among the ranks of Sunshine Noir authors." -Steph Post, author of Lightwood

Reporter Mark Freer learns that the body of an old girlfriend has been found, beaten to death, in the county where he now lives and works south of Atlanta. He left the girl, Amelia, years before due to her drug addiction but feels guilty because he played a part in beginning that addiction. Driven by that guilt, he begins to investigate Amelia's death. He learns from an old junkie associate who also recently showed up in town that Amelia's son, Kyle, is living with her parents and younger sister Dani in Atlanta's north suburbs. He also learns that Amelia was last seen with an unknown three men. Freer contacts Dani and after she learns about Amelia's death they both begin investigating. They track the three mystery men in a pimped up Cadillac through Atlanta's seedier side, strip clubs and dog fighting, until they discover that one of the men is Jeremy Pivot, Amelia's ex-boyfriend and father of Kyle. All this occurs at a time when Freer's life is crumbling. His wife has left him, taking their young daughter with her back to her hometown, El Paso, Texas. He is bitterly disappointed with his career and the evil he reports on a daily basis weighs on his soul. Not to mention the fact that he's been experiencing a massive toothache recently! All these factors push him to a point of desperate urgency to solve the mystery of Amelia's death. Drawn partially from the real life experiences of author Ed Brock, a former police reporter, Pale in Death is a tour of Atlanta's seedy side with characters that live and breathe. Acclaim for Pale in Death: "Publishing his first novel, crime reporter Brock offers us a tale featuring none other than an Atlanta crime reporter. Talk about writing what you know. But it's not just a crime novel, it's a dark noir tale of decay and despair." -Dave Wilde, Amazon reviewer "Ed Brock's Pale in Death is a solid debut crime novel." -Mej, Amazon reviewer "Brock delivers a nicely paced thriller that has an interesting cast of characters and is well plotted." -Dman4227, Amazon reviewer "A roller coaster ride down a path of drug destruction and death, the result of which has a profound effect on a remorseful reporter who finds his past mistakes rushing forward to present him with a real and present danger. I enjoyed every minute of this read." -Amazon reviewer "Fast paced and tightly plotted debut. It's short, which is good. The characters are well done." -Kathleen G., Amazon reviewer

She's missing, and her mother knows who to blame. But nobody's listening. When the case falls to DCI Bob Valentine, however, he has no choice but to listen. Haunted by the girl's cold gaze and her mother's hurt, the detective soon finds himself at the centre of the most harrowing investigation of his police career. Uncovering a ring of ritualistic abuse that leads to the highest echelons of a degraded and Satanic society, Valentine wonders how the world could contain such evils. And then the bodies start to mount. And the demons' defenders appear. Can the detective fight on so many fronts? Can he even hope to find the missing, never mind the guilty? Her Cold Eyes is a harrowing journey down the most twisting, turning rabbit hole, where the screams from below might just be preferable to the ones above. Critical Acclaim for Books by Tony Black "Black has created a sympathetic and fascinating character in Valentine...Strong characters and tight pacing elevate this police procedural." -Publishers Weekly "Tony Black is my favourite British crime writer" -Irvine Welsh "If you're a fan of the Ian Rankins, Denise Minas and Irvine Welshes of this world, this is most certainly one for you" -The Scotsman "Black is one of those excellent perpetrators of Scottish noir: a compelling and convincing portrayer of raw emotions in a vicious milieu." -The Times "This up-and-coming crime writer isn't portraying the Edinburgh in the Visit Scotland tourism brochures." -The Sun "Taut, with a heart-wrenchingly honest protagonist and impressive literary style, it is among the best of the new Tartan Noir" -The Daily Mail "Irvine Welsh adores him, Ken Bruen can't praise him highly enough-Tony Black is the new Scottish noir king you need on your bookshelf" -Shortlist Magazine "An accomplished and impressive piece of tartan noir" -The List "Black's visceral prose makes this a superior offering in a crowded market" -Big Issue

Detective Inspector Bob Valentine returns to duty, after a narrow escape with death, only to be confronted with the discovery of a corpse on a kitchen table with a horrific neck wound. A mystery also surrounds the victim's missing partner and her daughter. When the murder investigation reveals a tragic family drama, Valentine struggles with rapidly unfolding events and the terrifying visions that haunt him. As he uncovers the family's illicit secrets, can he keep a grip on the case and on his own sanity before the body count starts to rise? Praise for Books by Tony Black: "Tony Black is my favourite British crime writer." -Irvine Welsh "If you're a fan of the Ian Rankins, Denise Minas and Irvine Welshes of this world, this is most certainly one for you." -The Scotsman "Black is one of those excellent perpetrators of Scottish noir: a compelling and convincing portrayer of raw emotions in a vicious milieu." -The Times "This up-and-coming crime writer isn't portraying the Edinburgh in the Visit Scotland tourism brochures." -The Sun "Taut, with a heart-wrenchingly honest protagonist and impressive literary style, it is among the best of the new Tartan Noir." -The Daily Mail "Irvine Welsh adores him, Ken Bruen can't praise him highly enough-Tony Black is the new Scottish noir king you need on your bookshelf." -Shortlist Magazine "An accomplished and impressive piece of tartan noir." -The List "Black's visceral prose makes this a superior offering in a crowded market." -Big Issue

The discovery of a dead banker sends shockwaves through the sleepy coastal town of Ayr. And it's up to DI Bob Valentine, recently back on the force after his near-fatal stabbing, to find the killer. But leads are hard to find and the pressure is on from an anxious Chief Superintendent who is being hounded by the media and still has serious concerns about her DI's mental health. And as it becomes clear that there's a serial killer on the loose, Bob Valentine must battle the demons of his post-traumatic stress, an investigation team that's leaking like a sieve and frightening visions that might just be the key to unlocking the mystery. Valentine is close to breaking point, but can he crack the case before he cracks up? Praise for Books by Tony Black: "Tony Black is my favourite British crime writer." -Irvine Welsh "If you're a fan of the Ian Rankins, Denise Minas and Irvine Welshes of this world, this is most certainly one for you." -The Scotsman "Black is one of those excellent perpetrators of Scottish noir: a compelling and convincing portrayer of raw emotions in a vicious milieu." -The Times "This up-and-coming crime writer isn't portraying the Edinburgh in the Visit Scotland tourism brochures." -The Sun "Taut, with a heart-wrenchingly honest protagonist and impressive literary style, it is among the best of the new Tartan Noir." -The Daily Mail "Irvine Welsh adores him, Ken Bruen can't praise him highly enough-Tony Black is the new Scottish noir king you need on your bookshelf." -Shortlist Magazine "An accomplished and impressive piece of tartan noir." -The List "Black's visceral prose makes this a superior offering in a crowded market." -Big Issue

Mickey Finn: 21st Century Noir, Volume 4, the fourth entry of the hard-hitting anthology series, is another crime-fiction cocktail that will again knock readers into a literary stupor. Contributors push hard against the boundaries of crime fiction, driving their work into places short crime fiction doesn't often go, into a world where the mean streets seem gentrified by comparison and happy endings are the exception rather than the rule. And they do all this in contemporary settings, bringing noir into the 21st century. Like any good cocktail, Mickey Finn is a heady mix of ingredients that packs a punch, and when you've finished reading every story, you'll know that you've been "slipped a Mickey." The nineteen contributors, including some of today's most respected short-story writers and new writers making their mark on the genre, include: Ann Aptaker, Trey R. Barker, Michael Bracken, John M. Floyd, Nils Gilbertson, David Hagerty, James A. Hearn, Hugh Lessig, Sean McCluskey, Adam Meyer, Gabe Morran, Alan Orloff, Josh Pachter, Stephen D. Rogers, Bev Vincent, Joseph S. Walker, Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Sam Wiebe, and Stacy Woodson.

Mick Habergham enjoys working the nightshift; patrolling the midnight hours when the world is asleep and police work is simple. Sunday night should be quiet but, as his mind wrestles with divorcing Angela, it will prove to be anything but. From the mad knifeman of Hill Top Hostel to the most inept suicide attempt at the House of Pain, Mick will face all manner of obstacles to a peaceful night. If it isn't Marak Vargo or Booger Smith, it will be the tragic pensioners of Maple Court or the battle of The Alex Public House. Midnight ruins so many lives. Tonight, one will threaten Mick's own. If he wants a happy retirement he will first have to walk through fields of heartache and survive the ruins of midnight. Critical Acclaim for Colin Campbell: "Very real. And very good." -Lee Child "No one writes better action sequences than Campbell." -Dana King "There's nothing soft about Campbell's writing. If you enjoy your crime fiction hard-boiled, the Jim Grant series is a must read." -Bruce Robert Coffin, author of the Detective Byron series "A cop with a sharp eye, keen mind, and a lion's heart." -Reed Farrel Coleman "Campbell writes smart, rollercoaster tales with unstoppable forward momentum and thrilling authenticity." -Nick Petrie "Grim and gritty and packed with action." -Kirkus Review "The pages fly like the bullets, fistfights and one-liners that make this one of my favorite books of the year. Top stuff!" -Matt Hilton "An excellent story well told. A mixture of The Choirboys meets Harry Bosch." -Michael Jecks "Sets up immediately and maintains a breakneck pace throughout. Its smart structure and unrelenting suspense will please Lee Child fans." -Library Journal Review "This is police procedural close-up and personal. A strong debut with enough gritty real-ism to make your eyes water, and a few savage laughs along the way." -Reginald Hill

Don't trip. It could cost your life... They call it Roulette because there's no way of knowing what kind of ecstasy awaits. A rollercoaster ride through any one of seven heavens-or straight to hell. A new and dangerous substance has suddenly appeared at the rave scene of Gainesville, Florida. When former special agent Eric Bannon comes to investigate, the local sheriff doesn't know whether to be relieved someone is finally taking the rave issue seriously, or disturbed about who has answered the call. The inquiry must be kept quiet. But why are senior government officials turning a blind eye to such a dangerous drug? As the county hospital's senior ER nurse, Carol Steen has seen her share of small-town trouble. Her greatest concern is the snobbish new doctor. Stacie Swann is everything Carol detests: fresh out of med school, too many years her junior, drop-dead gorgeous-and with a bad attitude. Why did Stacie, an upcoming surgical star, leave her prestigious residency at the University of Florida medical center and take up station in their remote clinic? To Stacie, the nosey nurse is only a bitter reminder of what the medical establishment took from her, landing her in Middle of Nowhere, Florida. But when the night's emergencies are rushed in, the two ladies begin to bond over a common challenge. What appears to be a simple case of overdose turns into an ER nightmare. Patients seem to be suffering symptoms from multiple drugs. None are detectable. Eric arrives at the clinic in time to witness the victims' transformation from near-coma to bestial strength and ferocity. Eric and the ladies track the drug's origin to clandestine operations based within the university student body. These young people both finance the production and facilitate the human trials of the world's most exciting new high. Roulette makes you feel like your best self, times ten. Because it's no longer the old you. Carol and Stacie's patients belong to the 1% of consumers exposed to Roulette's true purpose, a purpose so heinous it will rewrite not just history, but the human genome. As opposition mounts from within his own government, Eric must face off with experimental science and the question: In the battle to control the future of humanity, do they really want to fight fire with fire? Critical Acclaim for ROULETTE: "Roulette sets a new bar for intrigue. I could not set this book down. Bottom line: Roulette is for you if you love conspiracy thrillers moving with the speed of an air boat and a mind-blowing, animalistic bite." -TG Wolff, author and co-creator of Mysteries to Die For Podcast "In their atmospheric new mystery-thriller Roulette, Locke and Guptara grab the reader's attention instantly with an appalling scenario in bucolic north Florida. The authors place their sympathetic crime-fighters in a deceptively benign rural atmosphere where, nonetheless, time is running out and death and destruction beckon." -Patrick H. Moore, author of 27 Days and Setting the Record Straight

After his sister and mother are murdered by human traffickers, Bishop Rider, a former medic and police officer, spends the remainder of his life hunting not only the men who took his family from him, but every person like them. He is joined by many partners throughout his war. But when Jeramiah Abrum, the son of one of the men who murders Rider's mother and sister, seeks out Rider to make amends for what his father set into motion all those years ago, a new level of retribution is born. But one man can only stand for so long against such darkness, and though Bishop Rider's story unfolds within the pages of A Better Kind Of Hate, The Big Machine Eats, All Of Them To Burn, Brand New Dark, and Old Man Rider, all stories end, and Bishop Rider, he's no exception, succumbing to the cancer within him. Which brings us to The Abrum Files and the question of what happens to those we leave behind. Jeramiah, now on his own, finds himself facing two choices; retreat from the life of murder and retribution he's been a part of for years or pick up where he and Rider left off and using methods he'd kept in check while Rider was alive, attempt to end what he and Rider together could not. He will finish the work. Critical Acclaim for THE ABRUM FILES: "The Abrum Files is more than just a collection. It's a statement. The mission continues. The guilty must face their fate. Love and Blood are both spilled across the pages." -S.A. Cosby, bestselling author of All The Sinners Bleed and Razorblade Tears "If Andrew Vachss threw out his keyboard and somehow learned how to write on a chainsaw, then you get an idea of how Beau Johnson tells a tale. I don't know if Grindhouse Noir is even a thing, but if it is, Johnson is the king." -Todd Robinson, author of The Hard Bounce and Rough Trade "Dark, bloody, and full of Hell, The Abrum Files is line after line of pure, uncut, chainsaw noir. I loved it!" -Paul J. Garth, author of The Low White Plain "Beau Johnson's newest novel, The Abrum Files, is chock-full of Old Testament-style justice and picks up right where his Bishop Rider series left off. Jeramiah Abrum is one bad good dude!" -Eli Cranor, author of the Edgar Award-winning Don't Know Tough and Ozark Dogs "With every book, Beau Johnson continues to deliver the hardest-core noir out there. Call it Chainsaw Noir: funny, dark and bloody, but with a moral heart beating beneath it all." -Nick Kolakowski, author of Love & Bullets and Payback Is Forever "With The Abrum Files: A Bishop Rider Book, Johnson makes you feel dirty, deranged and evokes a visceral reaction with each and every story. It runs the gamut of emotions-sorrow, remorse and elation-all the while knowing that you're in the steady hands of Johnson's pristine prose. This will make fans of Bishop Rider very happy." -Steve Stred, author of Mastodon, Father of Lies, and

Emily Conlin, missing for twenty years in rural West Virginia, has recently been found alive in the forest, bloody and bedraggled. Now, with the "help" of a down and out novelist, she is finally ready to tell the story...but whose story is it? The Duplication House is a twisted tale of the constructed self, identity in confined spaces, and all the dark things deep down. Just to let you know, should you decide to stay, there will be screaming. Critical Acclaim for Nathan Singer: "Nathan Singer's The Duplication House is at once a gleefully transgressive psychosexual phantasmagoria of Grand Guignol grotesqueries and a gimlet-eyed postmodern rumination on the creative process. Take a peek inside-I double-dare you." -Chris Holm, Anthony Award winning author of The Killing Kind and Child Zero "The hip new grand master of America's literate underbelly." -Mike Magnuson, author of The Right Man for the Job "The master of the literary pulp thriller. Singer's work has beauty and brutality in a balance no other writer can match." -Steve Weddle, author of Country Hardball "Nathan Singer is an urban wordsmith that blisters the pages with language only he can scribe." -Frank Bill, author of The Savage "He's the kind of writer who'll just destroy you, in all the right ways." -Benjamin Whitmer, author of Cry Father "[H]e is the heir apparent to Hubert Selby, Jr. Singer's electric prose is impossible to walk away from, and will stay with you long after you've finished the last page." -Tasha Alexander, author of A Fatal Waltz "Singer's prose is as stark and brutal as the world he describes, but it is also riveting. It carries the kind of redemptive power that reminds us why we read novels in the first place." -In Denver Times "Nathan Singer is what a writer is meant to be: daring, unique, original, and insightful." -Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of The Devil Wins "Nathan Singer...the top of the list of America's best young novelists." -John Connolly, author of The Book of Lost Things "Singer's percussive prose [works] its magic." -Booklist "This is a writer with balls bigger than my entire head." -J.D. Rhoades, author of The Devil's Right Hand

Duffy is back! After almost a decade our social working, pro boxing, Schlitz drinking, basset hound loving, bleeding heart tough guy has no idea what he's in for. His world literally blows up with a new gig, a career shift, another hound and, though he's still spending most of the time in AJ's, now it is from the other side of the bar. Duffy's buddy and owner of his drinking haunt dies suddenly and before he knows it, Duffy is in the tavern business. AJ's cryptic note left to Duffy asks him to look into his demise and when a thick necked goon comes around to scare Duff off, well, we know our man decides to go all in. Now, Duffy is up against the Chicago mob, a dirty drug business preying on the addicted, and his hometown's worst street gang. It's a good thing Al, the basset hound is on his side. Critical acclaim for THE COMEBACK: "In The Comeback, Tom Schreck's good-guy Duffy Dombrowski continues his journey of helping those who can't help themselves. He even helps them after they're dead. Readers who are addicted to Lee Child's Jack Reacher protag will appreciate Duffy, who is tougher than the violent bad guys he faces down. A fun, muscular read." -G. Miki Hayden, author of Writing the Mystery and Dry Bones, out in spring 2024 "Duffy Dombrowski, the hero of Tom Schreck's The Comeback, is the kind of guy you can count on if your car breaks down at 3am, you need a last-minute sparring partner at the gym, or you're a few dollars short for your next whiskey. I'm glad I got to hang out with him." -Tim O'Mara, author of the Raymond Donne series and creator of "Murder in Halifax"

Southern California. Home to sandy beaches, waving palm trees, balmy weather. Also home to the rich and famous, those barely hanging on, and everyone else. Add in murder, embezzlement, stalking, burglary, and every crime under the sun. In Crime Under the Sun, the second anthology offered by Partners in Crime, the San Diego chapter of Sisters in Crime, fifteen stories capture the hopes and dreams of characters trying to live the idyllic SoCal life. Instead, they bump up against greed, treachery, corruption, and death. These stories will thrill readers with unexpected twists and turns and surprise endings. In the words of Catriona McPherson in our foreword, "...the best mystery anthologies should embrace the whole of our beloved genre and Crime Under the Sun has nailed it." Welcome to the seamy underbelly of Southern California. Edited by Matt Coyle, Naomi Hirahara and Tammy Kaehler with stories by Sarah Bresniker, Lynne Bronstein, Shelley Burbank, Wrona Gall, B.J. Graf, C.C. Guthrie, A.P. Jamison, Kathy Kingson, Kathy Krevat, Axel Milens, John Edward Mullen, Kathy Norris, Michelle Rodenborn, Wendall Thomas, and James Thorpe. Critical Acclaim for Crime Under the Sun: "It may be a cliché to say an anthology has something for all readers, but Crime Under the Sun delivers in full. From cozy and quirky to gimlet-eyed and hard-boiled and with more than a couple of sides of tense and chilling. Story to story, I was delighted, thrilled, amused, and amazed." -Art Taylor, Edgar Award-winning author of The Adventure of the Castle Thief and Other Expeditions and Indiscretions "The Golden State has a dark underside in Crime Under the Sun, a lively and varied compendium of murder, mayhem, bad choices, and bad dreams. Seedy noir to whimsical cozy, and caper plot to psychological drama, the anthology offers an assortment of vengeful malcontents, ingenious professionals and hapless wannabes, plus few decent souls. Sharp characterization, smooth prose, and some echoes of old time Hollywood's tarnished glamor complete an entertaining package." -Janice Law, author of the Francis Bacon mysteries "Whoever wrote 'there's nothing new under the sun' obviously hasn't read Crime Under the Sun, in which the San Diego chapter of Sisters in Crime offers up fifteen stories that are not only new but noteworthy. Readers may not be familiar with all of the contributors, some of whom are early in their writing careers-but you're sure to be seeing more of them!" -Josh Pachter, editor of the Anthony Award finalist Paranoia Blues: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Paul Simon "A lovely collection of criminous tales, delightfully diverse in style, featuring work by some of the best writers producing short fiction today." -Tom Mead, author of Death and the Conjuror and The Murder Wheel "Crime Under the Sun features a collection of twists, jagged edges, one-two punches and crisp storytelling from sunny California. With endearing protagonists, villains you love to hate, some cool characters coming off the page and murder mysteries galore, this collection showcases great talent." -Ryan Sayles, author of Like Whitewashed Tombs "A scorching selection of crime stori

Lena Madadhi is desperate, a middle-aged arts teacher in Los Angeles whose teen daughter has been abducted. When seeking help from a private investigator, Joe Delancey, she finds he is out on a case at a Central Valley truck stop, deep undercover among truckers, prostitutes and nomads-entrenched in a doomsday sect called Gallows Dome. The further Lena digs to find Joe, the deeper she submerges into The Dome's hellscape, spiraling closer toward her daughter's whereabouts than she could ever imagine. An unflinching look at the dark side of family and faith, Nolan Knight's Gallows Dome tackles a current American landscape whose thoughts and prayers help flap its flags at half-mast-teetering on the brink of total collapse. Critical Acclaim for Gallows Dome: "Poet Vincente Huidobro said that the writer's job is quite simple: Invent new worlds and be careful what you say. That's exactly what Nolan Knight does, and does wonderfully." -James Sallis, author of Drive and Sarah Jane "This no-holds-barred noir from a writer to watch will grab readers' attention, and regardless of the graphically described violence, it's fun." -Library Journal "Forget the glitz and glam of Hollywood, Knight gives us a ride in the real California crime machine rolling beyond the freeway off ramps." -Tom Pitts, author of Coldwater and Hustle "Beyond Knight's mastery of setting are his characters, as he draws complicated heroes & villains-fathers, mothers & misfits alike-that feel absolutely heartachingly real. Gallows Dome is pure, uncut L.A. crime." -Peter Farris, author of Last Call for the Living "The gripping and entertaining tale Knight splashes on the page here is definitely worth the ride." -CrimeFictionCritic.com "If you like your writing with dirt under its nails, then let me introduce you to Nolan Knight...your new favorite writer." -Tony O'Neill, author of Sick City "Knight has a wild, degenerate charm on the line level that brings its own doomsday." -Joshua Mohr, author of Model Citizen "Intoxicating and rattling, Gallows Dome is a raw nerved journey into a subterranean realm where a determined woman out of her depth must prevail or perish all hope." -Gary Phillips, author of One-Shot Harry "Compulsively readable, Gallows Dome will leave you gasping for breath." --Patrick H. Moore, author of 27 Days "An atmospheric, contemporary, gritty noir tale replete with damsels in distress, a down and out detective, a hoedown, a showdown, an angel, and the devil incarnate-what more could you ask for?" -Steven Max Russo, acclaimed author of The Dead Don't Sleep "This noir thriller drops you into a hellish world of drugs, desperation, and deranged cultism. You will be riveted to the fiery end." -Mark Troy, author of the Ava Rome private detective series "Gallows Dome has it all. Missing children, desperate parents, drug dealers, psycho killers, private investigators, cult members, truck stop cuties, y

When a young girl is abducted in a historic New England town in 1981, a family seeks full and total revenge, unwittingly setting in motion several decades worth of wicked lies and betrayal. Flash-forward thirty years, and the reader follows the Chief of Police, Box Sullivan, and his niece, Michelle, a ranger at iconic Walden Pond, two people who, on the surface, appear to be admirable, upstanding citizens. However, as the novel progresses, it becomes evident that both have plenty of hidden secrets and dark pasts which often intertwine with that kidnapping from decades earlier. They each share histories rife with trauma and deceit, as well as similar personalities bent on revenge. When a mysterious skull is discovered by two boys fishing in Walden Pond, and then Michelle's husband later disappears, the suspicion and finger-pointing escalate, and along with it, the tension and suspense. Told in alternating points of view, this literary mystery dives into the psychology of murderous betrayal, familial loyalty, and the extraordinary lengths people will resort to in the pursuit of self-preservation. Twists, turns, and ruthless back-stabbing fill these chapters, keeping the reader guessing and on edge until its unexpected and dark conclusion. Praise for RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES: "Right Between the Eyes is a riveting, twist-filled exploration of violence, memory, and family. With its richly complex characters and vivid sense of place, this is a novel that will stay with you long after you turn the last page." -Lou Berney, Edgar Award-winning author of November Road "A propulsive tale of blackmail and murder rendered in spare, hard-hitting prose. Sanders does a masterly job revealing how a family's closely-held secrets can echo across generations like a gunshot across a midnight lake." -Dennis Tafoya, author of Dope Thief "With a New England setting and the ghosts of Thoreau, Emerson, and Alcott coloring the background, Scott Loring Sanders weaves a tale of family secrets. Good people do bad things, and by the end, you are rooting for them to get away with it. Equal parts Stephen King's Castle Rock and SA Cosby's modern noir." -Jim Winter, author of the Holland Bay thrillers "With terrific pacing, intriguing characters, and skillful buildup of suspense, Sanders thrusts the reader into the dark and grisly past of two sisters in New England and their police officer uncle; a past filled with ominous secrets that threaten to destroy the conspiratorial bonds that unite them. Set in Concord, Massachusetts, where Henry David Thoreau penned his famous philosophical musings, Sanders has crafted a thriller every lover of crime fiction will enjoy to the hilt. A must-read." -Michael Bruce Blackwell, author of Wildlife on the Serengeti "With great risk, clean prose and precise execution, Scott Loring Sanders has created not only a feast for crime fiction aficionados, but also a revelation for all book lovers-proving himself undeniable with this dark, brooding and bloody family drama. Highly recommended." -Nolan Knight, author of The Neon Lights Are Veins and Beneath the Black Palms "This dark and troubling tale of two generations of the Sullivan family operating on multiple sides of the law raises many unsettling questions about the nature-and price-of loyalty at all costs, and is one of the most gripping novels I have read in years." -Nathan Singer, author of Transorbital&a

A bestselling author wakes up on a train and has no idea how he got there. When he finds himself accused of throwing a fellow author off the balcony of a New York City high-rise apartment building, he now must battle not only memory loss, but he must also fight for his very life. From New York Times and USA Today bestselling Thriller and Shamus Award-winning author Vincent Zandri comes a novel of deception, murder, and double-crosses that only Alfred Hitchcock could concoct. Praise for Books by Vincent Zandri: "Sensational...masterful...brilliant." -New York Post "(A) chilling tale of obsessive love from Thriller Award-winner Zandri...Riveting." -Publishers Weekly "...Oh, what a story it is...Riveting...A terrific old school thriller." -Booklist "Starred Review" "Zandri does a fantastic job with this story. Not only does he scare the reader, but the horror show he presents also scares the man who is the definition of the word "tough." -Suspense Magazine "(The Innocent) is a thriller that has depth and substance, wickedness and compassion." -The Times-Union (Albany) "The action never wanes." -Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "Gritty, fast-paced, lyrical and haunting." -Harlan Coben, New York Times bestselling author of Six Years "Tough, stylish, heartbreaking." -Don Winslow, New York Times bestselling author of Savages and Cartel "A tightly crafted, smart, disturbing, elegantly crafted complex thriller...I dare you to start it and not keep reading." -MJ Rose, New York Times bestselling author of Halo Effect and Closure "A classic slice of raw pulp noir..." -William Landay, New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob

27 Days is a taut and topical political thriller narrated in laconic noir fashion by veteran LA PI Nick Crane. In the spring of 2019, Nick is on the run in the Pacific Northwest, pursued by a cabal of wealthy right-wing power brokers and domestic terrorists (the Principals) led by Marguerite Ferguson and Desmond Cole. Nick has clashed with Marguerite and her crew in the past, and she wants him abducted so that she can personally "close his eyes forever." Things get worse. Nick's close friend and business partner Bobby Moore is kidnapped by Marguerite and the Principals. Nick is then informed that he has twenty-seven days to surrender to Marguerite. If he does not turn himself in, Bobby will be sent to Scorpion prison in Egypt to be tortured and murdered. If Nick surrenders, however, Bobby will be released. Help appears in the form of a young, idealistic female FBI agent named Carrie North who wants to arrest Marguerite for conspiring to commit domestic terrorist operations against the United States. Nick and Carrie join forces and the race against time to rescue Bobby Moore begins. And what a race it is! Marguerite and company are the toughest foes Nick has ever faced and he must dig down deeper than ever before to have any chance of surviving. Praise for 27 DAYS: "Moore skillfully delivers in the rat-a-tat, take-no-prisoner style of Spillane and Hammett, daring you to turn the page and see what happens next." -Charles Salzberg, Two-Time Shamus Award nominee for Swann's Last Song and Second Story Man "Patrick H. Moore has crafted a gripping neo-noir thriller. The characters ignite your curiosity, and the story compels you to keep turning the pages. PI Nick Crane, hard on the outside, compassionate within, is truly a justice warrior and is brilliantly suited for these uncertain times. Can't wait to see this as a TV series or movie. Haven't enjoyed a detective novel this much in a long, long time." -Max Myers, Award winning author of Boysie Blake: Problem Solver "Patrick H. Moore delivers a dark masterpiece here, a brawling, gunfire symphony dripping with ominous overtones. A contemporary western, a compelling and intricate mystery, a social allegory of the oldest sins of humankind-this book has it all. Take note: Patrick H. Moore has entered the big leagues." -John Nardizzi, Shamus Award finalist for The Burden of Innocence "Patrick H. Moore has done it again with 27 Days, his latest offering in the explosively entertaining Nick Crane series. This time Moore's complicated tough-guy PI Crane finds himself in the crosshairs of a domestic terrorist organization whose motto is Make America Safe Again. What follows is a blisteringly taut page turner with loads of engaging attitude plus blind side twists that Moore delivers with the authority of a pro investigator." -Michael D. Sellers, Award Winning Director of Eye of the Dolphin "Readers looking for unrelenting suspense and fascinating well-developed characters will find it all here, as the bodies pile up and the action cascades in unanticipated twists that will keep you riveted until the final page." -John Brown, Los Angeles Private Investigator "This red-hot page turner careens through the underworld of a divided America, sparing no one as Nick Crane races the clock against domestic terrorists. Wall to wall heart-pounding action, riveting dialogue, and a dark vision of our country, you'

Half of DC Police Detective Ezra Simeon's face is immobilized from a persistent case of Bell's Palsy-he must drink through a straw and eat carefully to avoid chewing through his own cheek. He has been detailed from robbery to the cold case squad while he heals. "How odd to dream with one eye open, like having one foot in reality," Sim muses in the dark, bluesy vein that is typical of his Chandler-esque narration. "That's what makes dreaming dangerous and why I moved my gun farther from the bed." Detective Simeon's half-frozen world begins to heat up when a friend from his Academy days drops dead of a heart attack, and Sim is tapped to replace him, detailed now to homicide, where he inherits the high-profile case of a murdered escort he alone thinks may be the victim of a serial killer. Praise for A DETAILED MAN: "A relentless tour of DCs most crime-ridden streets, with many beautifully written surprises, and darker than the deepest noir." -Madison Smartt Bell

The brutal throat-slashing murder of Crawford Academy's football coach has the city on edge. The fact that his body was found in the gay section of Jefferson Park has created more than a few whispers about the macho coach. That creeps social worker Duffy Dombrowski out enough, but not nearly as much as the fact that the kid he's counseling said he wanted to slit the coach's throat the day before. Now Duffy is assigned to the high school as a grief counselor, and before he can confront his client, the kid gets beaten into a coma by the captain of the football team. As the rumors of a high school sex club run rampant, murder becomes routine in Crawford-until a victim is someone close to Duffy. Everything points to the coach, his sex life, his players, and maybe to the coach leading the team into a different arena. Duffy is not so sure. Add in a new love affair with TJ Dunn, a concussion that might drive Duff out of the boxing game, and the daily challenges of Al the basset hound and you have the fastest paced, most complex and culturally challenging Duffy mystery yet. Praise for the Duffy Dombrowski Mysteries: "The Vegas Knockout is a funny book, full of engaging characters that cover the spectrum of human likeability. What makes it more than a piece of fluff is how Schreck uses Duffy's love of boxing to stand in for any devotion truly held. Duffy's success is in his journey, just as the greatest fun in The Vegas Knockout is in the reading." -Dana King, author of the Penns River Crime Novels "Out Cold floored me with a quick one two of the serious and seriously funny. Schreck's unique blending of the absurd and the sublime along with his rather oddball cast of characters makes Out Cold a great read." -Reed Farrel Coleman, two-time Shamus Award winning author of Empty Ever After "Out Cold is a fast, funny, rip-roaring read, and Shreck's wit and humor shines through on every page. But what I love most about Schreck's creation, Duffy Dombrowski, is the decency and dignity with which he treats the unforgettable cast of loonies, addicts, and criminals who parade through his office. I haven't cared this much about a protagonist in a good long while. Duffy is real hero and a true original." -Blake Crouch, author of Abandon "Fresh, intense and funny, Schreck's second mystery to feature unrepentant Elvis fan and dog lover Duffy Dombrowski packs a knockout punch." -Publishers Weekly, for TKO "Refreshingly iconoclastic." -Kirkus Reviews, for TKO "TKO is fast-paced, authentic, and funny as hell. Social worker and journeyman boxer Duffy Dombrowski is a workingman's hero, and I want him in my corner!" -Sean Chercover, author of Trinity Game "Not since Carl Hiassen's Tourist Season debut has there been a novel with such superb comic timing and laugh-out-loud lines." -Ken Bruen, Shamus Award-winning author of The Guards, for On the Ropes "An Everyman with a big heart and a wicked jab, Duffy Dombrowski may well be the new Spenser. I can't wait for Round Two." -Marcus Sakey, author of The Blade Itself, for On the Ropes

Fentanyl. The latest scourge of Monticello's street. A detective, a street-level dealer, and an ambitious police official, it will weave its way through their lives and change their fates. For Detective Jessica Branson, it makes the house she can't afford unlivable and unrentable. When her tenants overdose, one fatally, her career teeters toward a crash. For Marcus Lincoln, it's the latest product, his ticket to the top of the Game as he moves up in the gang that still rules the city's Holland Bay neighborhood. But one man stands in his way, and Linc holds a grudge. Between making his anger known and building his new empire, he finds himself on the bad side of the city's drug lord. For Derek Roberts, the drug becomes a major headache and a political football as he navigates between two ambitious candidates for mayor. But it's also an opportunity to reach one of his longtime goals: Getting rid of Jessica Branson. An imprisoned drug boss, a scheming council member, and a former Amish man running a junkyard complicate matters. But it all ties together when a maligned breed of dog kills a little girl in the neighborhood of Beaumont Heights. Praise for The Dogs of Beaumont Heights: "Sets up on page one and never lets up." -Colin Campbell, author of the Jim Grant Thrillers "Fast-paced and meticulously detailed, Jim Winter's spicy new crime novel crackles with intensity. He does a tremendous job of pulling together the tangled threads of his complex story in a thoroughly satisfying manner." -Patrick H. Moore, author of 27 Days "Winter knows how to mix and match, and the thrills come quickly. Definitely a novel for today that suits its readers who like their action a little uncivilized." -G. Miki Hayden, Writer's Digest University mystery and thriller writing instructor "The Dogs of Beaumont Heights will keep you turning pages into the wee morning hours, through your coffee, out the door, and on breaks at work. A great addition to the thriller lover's library shelf." -Susan Wingate, award-winning author of How the Deer Moon Hungers "Winter dishes up a compelling cast of characters on various sides of the law, a strong sense of place, and a gritty, twisty plot to weave an explosive tale of corruption and violence that burns hot from start to finish." -Andrew Welsh-Huggins, author of the Andy Hayes PI series "Winters' work smacks of McBain and Wambaugh, but there's a modern street-level tenor here-a wide aperture aimed squarely at the probing tendrils of unabated drugs and corruption." -Matt Phillips, author of Accidental Outlaws "A first-class crime story where local politics is rife with backroom deals, the police force is buried in corruption, and organized crime is on the rise. At the epicenter is Jessica Branson, a shrewd, attractive, no-nonsense detective who gets results." -Jonathan J. Brown, author of the Lou Crasher thrillers "With a fast-paced plot where the stakes increase with every turn of the page, Jim Winters has written a scorching Midwest crime epic where sociopathic drug dealers, opportunistic cops, and crooked politicians all feed from the rotting underbelly of a city in crisis." -Chuck Marten, author of Bad Guy Lawyer "Winter weaves a masterful tale of gritty, urban suspense. No one is clean; everyone has a secret.

Nobody Understands How Rancid the Human Race Really Is Until You've Worked in a Garbage Dump! When Dick Moonlight PI begins seeing a beautiful but married APD Narco Unit Detective, he realizes he's up for trouble should her waste management tycoon husband find out about it. But when three dead bodies, all of whom were the employees of the Fuscilli Waste Management Company show up inside the Albany County Landfill, Moonlight realizes that Mary's husband could in fact be a three-time murderer. Enter Chief Detective Nick Miller who, knowing he's conducting an affair with the suspect's cop wife, employees Moonlight to investigate the murders. Knowing that what Miller is also silently asking is for the headcase gumshoe to investigate Mary for what she might know, Moonlight is hesitant at first. But the ever instant Miller gives Moonlight an ultimatum. Either investigate the case or his affair with the narco detective will be exposed to the general public. For fans of Michael Connelly, Ace Atkins, Robert B. Parker, Charlie Huston, and more, New York Times and USA Today bestselling Thriller and Shamus Award winning author Vincent Zandri's Moonlight Runs is a thriller that will keep you guessing with every turn of the page.

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.