Böcker utgivna av Down & Out Books

When Samantha awakes she is half buried in bricks and the smoke still swirls in the air. The car bomb didn't killed her-small miracle. Her unfocused eyes see a figure coming nearer. A shape she recognizes somehow. As the person passes by the orange glow from the car fire's light, she sees the face. Her face. But how? The other Samantha stands over her and regards her twin. Something is off about this new face. It is her, sure, but harder somehow. The new Sam turns and walks away, back toward the building she came out of before her car exploded. Back to see the two drug kingpins in the top floor offices. And somehow Samantha knows-back to take the deal she just turned down. Samantha Whelan is a DEA agent, and not always a straight and narrow one. She's been taking bribes and doing favors for Calder and Rizzo-twin brothers and big players in narco traffic in southern California-for years. She turned down a deal that night, a deal to make her millions, but it meant killing her fiancé, an assistant district attorney building a case against Calder and Rizzo. And it meant betraying her DEA brethren more deeply than she had so far. It was too much. So Calder and Rizzo tried to blow her up. What happened then...she split. Samantha became Samantha and Sam. Two halves of the same person. The good side and the bad side. The two opposing forces living within her for so long were now free to fight it out to see who will win control. So begins a nightmarish rocket ride for Samantha to save her life and the lives of everyone she holds dear before Sam, her bad half, can burn it to the ground. Praise for TWO IN THE HEAD: "Two In the Head is a straight shot between the eyes. A gangbusters plot, punch-drunk pace, and gut-punch action propel this black hearted thriller from Eric Beetner." -J. Todd Scott, author of The Far Empty and Lost River

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 7: Burritos & Bullets by Eric Beetner Episode 8: Jalapeño Poppers and a Flare Gun by Michael Bracken & Trey R. Barker >Episodes 10-12 of Season Two are featured in Guns + Tacos Vol. 4.

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 10: A Taco, a T-Bird, a Beretta and One Furious Night by Ann Aptaker Episode 11: Sopa and a Streetsweeper by Ryan Sayles >Episodes 7-9 of Season Two are featured in Guns + Tacos Vol. 3.

<i>Mickey Finn: 21st Century Noir</i> is a crime-fiction cocktail that will knock readers into a literary stupor. <br><br>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. <br><br>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." <br><br>The twenty contributors, some of today''s most respected short-story writers and new writers making their mark on the genre, include J.L. Abramo, Ann Aptaker, Trey R. Barker, Michael Bracken, Barb Goffman, David Hagerty, James A. Hearn, David H. Hendrickson, Jarrett Kaufman, Mark R. Kehl, Hugh Lessig, Steve Liskow, Alan Orloff, Josh Pachter, Steve Rasnic Tem, Mikal Trimm, Bev Vincent, Joseph S. Walker, Andrew Welsh-Huggins, and Stacy Woodson.

<i>Ex vice-cop Vince McNulty is technical advisor for Titanic Productions in Boston. It''s not like walking the beat back in Yorkshire but it''s a living. </i> <br><br>Boston, Massachusetts <br><br>"Can you get this guy to stop walking like a duck?" <br>"I know lots of cops who walk like ducks." <br>"In England maybe. In America they walk like John Wayne." <br><br>Teaching Alfonse Bayard to walk like a cop was only part of McNulty''s duties. Working for a tinpot movie company meant his job description included on set security, liaising with local police and even doing a little stunt work. Larry Unger liked to get his money''s worth. At least it got McNulty to America, where he could search for his missing sister who had been sold into adoption from Crag View Children''s Home back in the UK. <br><br>Investigating stolen film stock should have been a fairly innocuous task but when it leads to torture porn and snuff videos it soon turns into something much darker. And far more dangerous. <br><br>Praise for FINAL CUT: <br><br>"Fantastic story, fantastic characters-fantastic everything." -Chris Mooney, international bestselling author <br><br>Praise for the books by Colin Campbell: <br><br>"Very real. And very good." -Lee Child <br><br>"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 <br><br>"A cop with a sharp eye, keen mind, and a lion''s heart." -Reed Farrel Coleman <br><br>"Campbell writes smart, rollercoaster tales with unstoppable forward momentum and thrilling authenticity." -Nick Petrie <br><br>"Grim and gritty and packed with action." -<i>Kirkus Review</i> <br><br>"The pages fly like the bullets, fistfights and one-liners that make this one of my favourite books of the year. Top stuff!" -Matt Hilton <br><br>"An excellent story well told. A mixture of <i>The Choirboys</i> meets Harry Bosch." -Michael Jecks <br><br>"Sets up immediately and maintains a breakneck pace throughout. Its smart structure and unrelenting suspense will please Lee Child fans." -<i>Library Journal Review</i> <br><br>"This is police procedural close-up and personal. A strong de-but with enough gritty realism to make your eyes water, and a few savage laughs along the way." -Reginald Hill

Interrupting the Soria family''s Christmas Eve feast, childish teenager Emily requires the hospital emergency room for an apparent attack of appendicitis. But a blunt nurse explains the truth: Emily is giving birth. The seventeen-year-old has tricked her mind and body into believing she isn''t pregnant, when-in a rare but not unheard-of occurrence-the baby is full term and already being born. <br><br>A life-affirming, feel-good story of love, family and the special way Christmas can inspire, <i>Making Hearts</i> introduces a character readers will strongly care about and root for. Noelle wins the hearts of all with her loving enthusiasm for life, her wit, and by personally defeating the villain''s lowdown scheme in an astonishing climax readers will never forget. <br><br>Praise for MAKING HEARTS: <br><br>"Wow! I''ve never read a book like this! Totally engrossing, <i>Making Hearts</i> is an absolute tour de force. Jack Getze has done himself proud with this work. I''ve never read a story with an infant as the protagonist and more-an infant who acts proactively against formidable opponents with overpowering advantages and wins out. This is a book of supreme imagination, originality and most of all-<i>heart</i>. I am in complete awe of Getze''s talent displayed supremely in this work. This is the book the cliché-<i>you gotta read this! </i>-was invented for." -Les Edgerton, author of <i>The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping</i>; <i>Bomb</i>; <i>The Bitch</i> and many others

Kidnapping, international trafficking on the dark web, bit coin blackmail by gangster police states, loan sharks, and a monk obsessed with profit and power are all in the mix. <br><br>When Matt Chance is asked by a Bangkok gambling kingpin to investigate the kidnapping of his daughter he''s not interested. That is until he learns that his mentor, former Special Forces soldier John Scales, already on the case, has disappeared. On the trail, Matt confronts Jade Lee, an ex-US Army chopper pilot who joins the chase. <br><br>Their attempt to rescue the girl and capture the monk in charge of the criminal cult appears to be a failure until the CIA joins the picture in the form of Matt''s older brother Rick. Offered the chance to take part in a covert operation in Macau, where the monk has fled, Matt and Jade agree to go. The risk is great, the territory unknown, but it seems the only way to rescue the girls and get the mad monk.

The "Tent Gang" a three-man crew that robs houses all over Los Angeles that have been tented off for fumigation has the L.A.P.D. chasing their tails. When a private neighborhood security guard happens on the crew and tries to play hero it doesn't go well for him. The mother of the slain security guard wants justice. Enter Lou Crasher, the rock n roll drummer and part time amateur P.I. Normally Lou wouldn't go near a case this large but when Jake Strickland, his half brother, asks for Lou's help, Lou agrees before Jake has finished asking. Lou's been pulled out of many fires by Jake-it's long overdue for Lou to lend his brother a hand. Lou has now essentially volunteered to do what the cops have failed to do: catch the tent gang, which are believed to be the killers and solve the murder. Lou follows the clues where they lead and winds up in the crosshairs Disruptor, a lethal underground anit-society group. The group not only disrupts the statues quo, they maim and murder for no apparent rhyme or reason. While running down the crooks and dodging bullets from the sub-group Crasher fights to maintain his rock n roll life of gigs, booze, sex, drums and his day job managing the L.A. Practice Joint- a rehearsal studio for local bands. Lou still hangs with his crazy-maker buddy Bobby Coldwater and must make sure he doesn't slip back into his cocaine addiction. If Lou manages to keep the drumsticks twirling and escape the attempts by Disruptor to end his life he hopes that all parties involved respect his personal golden rule: Don't Shoot The Drummer! Praise for DON'T SHOOT THE DRUMMER: "With its hard-hitting prose and smooth groove, Jonathan Brown's Don't Shoot the Drummer is tight, man. It goes down like a chilled bourbon after a long day of Crashing." -Tim O'Mara, author of the Raymond Donne series and editor of Down to the River "Lou Crasher is back! In a virtuoso performance, Don't Shoot the Drummer pulses with relentless action and heart as Crasher rolls through the streets of L.A. in search of the killer (or killers) of a popular student and football player. A modern-day Archer or Spenser, Crasher puts it all on the line to get to the truth, and deliver justice to those the system has left behind." -Shawn Reilly Simmons, author of the Red Carpet Catering Mysteries "Come for the extraordinary characters, stay for the kick-ass fights; come for the back-stage rock scene, stay for the sandwiches; come for the voice, stay for the coolest set of images this side of the wise-cracking heroes of '30's movies. Whatever brings you into Lou Crasher's world, you'll be glad you came." -SJ Rozan, bestselling author of Paper Son

It's 9:10 PM in the Chatham County Communications Center. The dispatchers stare at each other, afraid to move, afraid to breathe. One minute to go. Will tonight be the night? The clock on the wall changes. 9:11. A phone rings. The screens indicate the 9-1-1 call is coming from a blocked number. The dispatchers hope and pray it's a coincidental call for service. Perhaps a car break-in or a bar fight. With all eyes on her, one dispatcher presses a button, puts the call on speaker for everyone to hear. "Chatham 9-1-1. What's your emergency?" The distorted voice comes across the speaker. He gives the address. There will be a body at that location. That's for certain. The killer dares the police to catch him and then, like before...he's gone. Former Pittsburgh narcotics detective Trevor Galloway and new P.I. Bethany Nolan are enlisted to look into the case of the 9-1-1 Killer and the investigation takes an unexpected turn when Galloway suggests the murderer may be a first responder. Galloway is pushed to the limit as he wonders if his hallucinations are returning and if members of a drug gang that want him dead have tracked him to Savannah, Georgia. Galloway soon discovers he doesn't trust the police. He doesn't trust his client. He doesn't even trust himself. Praise for THE BETTER OF THE BAD: "J.J. Hensley has pulled off an incredible feat: The Better of the Bad is a real rush with a gripping mystery at its heart. The Trevor Galloway series gets bigger, badder, and more energetic with every book." -Nick Kolakowski, author of Boise Longpig Hunting Club and Maxine Unleashes Doomsday

In 2017, Kate and Dan Malmon edited <i>Killing Malmon</i>, a unique anthology with short stories featuring the death of "Dan Malmon". 100% of the profits went to the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Some stories were scary, some were funny; some were random, some were heroic. But they all featured his death. <br><br>Dan Malmon''s widow would not sit idly while her husband was killed multiple times. Editors Kate and Dan Malmon are back with a second anthology, <i>Revenge of the Widow Malmon</i>. In this collection, all the stories feature "Kate Malmon" plotting and executing her bloody revenge. As with the first anthology, all profits from <i>Revenge of the Widow Malmon</i> will go to the Multiple Sclerosis Society. So if you hate Multiple Sclerosis as much as we do, or just want to see Kate get her sweet revenge on some fools, please join us as we continue to raise money to battle this disease. <br><br>Featuring stories by E.A Aymar, Sean Chercover, Joe Clifford, S.A Cosby, Libby Cudmore, Nikki Dolson, Matthew FitzSimmons, Jordan Harper, Shaun Harris, J.J. Hensley, Jennifer Hillier, Aimee Hix, Matthew Iden, Renee Asher Pickup, and Eryk Pruitt.

It doesn''t have to be the dark of a rainy night for it to be noir. It doesn''t have to be shadowy rooms of Venetian blinds. It doesn''t even have to be a femme fatale. Noir is somebody tripping over their own faults, somebody who has an Achilles heel, some kind of greed, or want or desire that leads them down a dark path, from which there is sometimes no return. <br><br>No one is safe. There''s no place to hide in this collection of twelve stories from the dark side of the American Dream. <br><br>Stories of noir from Coast to Coast. <br><br>Contributors: <br>Colleen Collins-Denver, Colorado <br>Brendan DuBois-rural Massachusetts <br> Alison Gaylin-Hudson Valley, New York <br>Tom MacDonald-Nashua, New Hampshire <br>Andrew McAleer-Boston, Massachusetts <br>Michael Mallory-Springfield, Missouri <br>Paul D. Marks-Venice Beach/Los Angeles, California <br>Dennis Palumbo-Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania <br>Stephen D. Rogers-Providence, Rhode Island <br>John Shepphird-Los Alamos, New Mexico <br>Jaden Terrell-Nashville, Tennessee <br>Dave Zeltserman-small town Kansas <br><br>Praise for the COAST TO COAST series: <br><br><i>Murder from Sea to Shining Sea</i> <br><br>"A sterling collection of coast-to-coast crime stories dripping with local color-all of it blood red." -Chuck Hogan, Hammett Prize winner and international bestselling author of <i>The Strain</i> <br><br>"Envelope-pushers! A truly <i>WOW</i> collection by the <i>best</i> mystery writers out there-full of surprises <i>only</i> they can pull off." -Thomas B. Sawyer, bestselling author of <i>Cross Purposes</i> and Head-Writer of <i>Murder, She Wrote</i> <br><br>"An engaging collection from a stellar cast of award-winning mystery authors guaranteed to keep you awake all night." -Hannah Dennison, author of the IMBA bestselling Vicky Hill Mysteries <br><br>"This intriguing collection of stories from these masters of suspense will keep you guessing from cover to cover <i>and</i> coast to coast." -Raffi Yessayan, author of <i>8 in the Box</i> and <i>2 in the Hat</i> <br><br><i>Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea</i> <br><br>"A tantalizing array of stories guaranteed to please fans of PI fiction. High fives all around!" -MWA Grand Master Bill Pronzini <br><br>"Tough, taut and terrific. This cross-country collection of sleuthing stories-from the best writers in the private eye biz-is wonderfully written, always surprising, and completely entertaining." -Hank Phillippi Ryan, Anthony, Agatha and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author <br><br>"A bang-up read of PI fiction from a gallery of impressive authors. Compelling, fun, and full of clever surprises. A treat." -Shamus Award-winning author John Shepphird 

The body of young Tommy Rutledge is found washed up on the shores of Lake Wappapello, his throat cut. The deceased was known to have ties to the Ozark Militia. There are few clues, and the trail begins to grow cold for Investigator Morgan Kern of the Missouri Highway Patrol. <br><br>At the same time, the militia movement is exploding in America, populated by some who simply believe strongly in their Second Amendment rights, but also by those with more nefarious purposes. ATF has become increasingly concerned about these groups and the threat they pose. When an informant tells agents of possible illegal weapons trafficking by the Ozark Militia, Special Agent David Ward is tasked with going undercover to find the truth. <br><br>The paths of Kern and Ward will intersect in a way that neither could have imagined. <br><br><i>Deep Red Cover</i> is the third book in the "Deep Cover" series, following Ward''s debut adventure in <i>Deep White Cover</i> and its sequel, <i>Deep Green Cover</i>. <br><br> Praise for DEEP RED COVER: <br><br>"Deep, dark and authentic. Great characters. Great read." -Colin Campbell, author of the Jim Grant thrillers <br><br>"With <i>Deep Red Cover</i>, Barrows cherry-picks the best aspects from both procedural and thrillers and melds them together for one hell of a ride. Captivating." -Ryan Sayles, author of <i>Together They Were Crimson</i> <br><br>Praise for Joel W. Barrows: <br><br>"In the real world, undercover work is a nasty, blood covered place. Barrows gets it right." -Jay Dobyns, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author and ATF Special Agent (Ret.), for <i>Deep White Cover</i> <br><br>"As good as any Baldacci." -Roald Tweet, co-host of NPR''s <i>Scribble</i>, for <i>Deep White Cover</i>

<i>Before Jim Grant became The Resurrection Man he was just a Yorkshire cop with a short fuse...</i> <br><br>Yorkshire, Los Angeles, Boston, Texas, Mexico and much more. <br><br>Helping an old lady get her stolen glasses back and dangling the thief over a cliff is just the start of a tarnished career and these stories fill in some of the gaps between his more widely published adventures. From the "Heavy Petting Chasing Tail Zen Dog Pet Boutique" to a bar at "Boquillas Crossing," Grant just can''t let injustice go unpunished. <br><br>But he''s not the only Yorkshireman in America. These stories also introduce Vince McNulty, a Yorkshire ex-cop now working for a tinpot movie company in Boston. It would be a strange coincidence if these two men didn''t know each other. Cops don''t believe in coincidence. Neither should you.

Since becoming an unlikely millionaire and quitting the St. Paul Police Department, Rushmore McKenzie has been working as an unlicensed private investigator, basically doing favors for friends and people in need. But even for him, this latest job is unusual. He's been asked to find a stolen Stradivarius, known as the Countess Borromeo, that only the violinist seems to want him to find. Stolen from a locked room in a B&B in the violinist's former hometown of Bayfield, Wisconsin, the violin is valued at $4 million and is virtually irreplaceable. But the foundation that owns it and their insurance company refuses to pay the thief (or thieves) for its safe return. However, Paul Duclos, the violinist who has played it for the past twelve years, is desperate to get it back and offers to pay the thief out of his own pocket. Though it's not his usual sort of case, McKenzie is intrigued and decides to help, which means going against the local police, the insurance company, the FBI's Art Crime division, and his own lawyer's advice. And, as he quickly learns, there's a lot more going on than the mere theft of a priceless instrument. Praise for STEALING THE COUNTESS: "A Stradivarius goes missing and all hell breaks loose in the thirteenth entry in Edgar-winning Housewright's very strong Rushmore McKenzie series... Though the novels are loosely based in Minneapolis/St. Paul, the series makes great use of the variegated landscapes-filled with opportunities for crime and escape-of Minnesota and Wisconsin... Greatly enhancing the story are the fascinating details Housewright provides on the history and design of these priceless instruments." -Booklist, starred review "The brazen theft of a Stradivarius violin known as the Countess Borromeo, valued at $4 million, provides Rushmore McKenzie with some ethical challenges in Housewright's entertaining 13th mystery featuring the unlicensed St. Paul, Minn., PI (after 2015's Unidentified Woman #15)... The charming lead enhances the crime puzzle, which is both complex and logical." -Publishers Weekly

When his well-to-do physician-father dies, James Thorwait discovers an old, back-room contract indicating that he is, in fact, an adopted child, whose parentage includes a mother named Allie Morelock, from far-back in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Having grown-up in the rarified atmosphere of the well-born of Roalton, Tennessee, Thorwait must now confront the fact of his birth-mother's Appalachian heritage-and he goes in search of her, and her meaning. Establishing contact with a small newspaper publisher in Glade, North Carolina, Thorwait begins the search for Allie Morelock, and finds himself immersed in intense family histories, tensions, and struggles, dating-back generations, and involving people named both Hampton and Morelock. Thorwait travels to Glade, and meets Sam-the newspaper man-and Sam's sister, Leela, both of whom set-out to help him in his search. As it turns out, Leela is married to a Morelock from the area, and James begins his exploration here. As he discovers more details about the Morelock family around Glade, Thorwait finds they have been involved, for generations, in moonshine, and, more recently, drug traffic, throughout the area, reaching back to Roalton, Tennessee, itself. The search for his mother necessarily involves him in an exploration of white liquor dealings in the mountains and "back home." Engaged in digging-up the past, Thorwait finds himself inexorably drawn into present-day passions, pent-up violence, and crime. His search compels him to confront the question of his own identity, the mystery of his birth-mother, and the tangled complexities of his mountain heritage. Praise for CAROLINA BLOOD: "Carolina Blood is a beautiful collection of powerful histories, nested together in one continuous story line covering generations of brutality, love, revenge, and redemption. The novel is a delectable suspense delivered in rich mountain settings inhabited by characters that reflect the entirety of human possibility, from the dastardly to the heroic and everything in between. Hood's knack for painting richly nuanced characters, weaving fine tapestries of intriguing plots, and dousing us with rich Appalachian history makes his storytelling not just compelling, but enriching and important, as well. From the first page the novel intoxicates no less than the moonshine that washes through the narrative." -Win Neagle, author of Smoke and Gravity and Full Count

Jack LeClere is a cop dodging bullets in what could best be described as friendly fire. He took out the serial killer who murdered his parents, and half of New Rhodes paid the price. Not to mention the rioting that gripped the city over the Julia Mae Jefferson murder, his last big case. So in the spirit of the aftermath, his superiors have called into question every sliver of his conduct. Jack is wealthy; he doesn't need to be a detective, and the top brass are implying that maybe if he followed procedure like his livelihood depended on it, he wouldn't want to be a cop. Leonard Beloit is a pillar of the community and a very wealthy man also, which does him no good when Jack gets called to the Grand Royal Theater to find him on the floor, his chest pierced with a gem pickaxe. Jack's search for the person who killed Beloit starts with the search for the person who was Beloit. As he speaks with Beloit's wife and daughter and digs even further, Jack finds a lustful, vagrant degenerate that would be unrecognizable in the society pages. Gangs, petty crimes, and not-so-petty crimes seem to be Beloit's off-hours pastime. None of this would call for Beloit's death, but Jack will keep digging, and soon realize he is peeling into the rot of the onion of New Rhodes high society, of which he is a reluctant member. The deeper he gets investigating what his peers are doing in the shadows, the more they investigate him, asking, in their own way, whether he'll stop playing cop and do something with the vast inheritance he rarely uses, and claims to never want. Beloit's exploits take a very dangerous turn in the form of a conspiracy to transport toxic chemicals through the Adirondacks; it may be that the smoking gun is wrapped up in a smokestack. The case to find, and hold accountable, Beloit's killer will pit him against not only the killer, but a version of himself that it seems everyone around him sees, that perhaps he can't remain blind to anymore.

What if we could no longer trust DNA profiling, the silver bullet of our criminal justice system? For years, we've relied on it to solve decades-old crimes, convict the guilty, and liberate the innocent from death row. But what happens to that trust when a crime lab scientist is leaned on to manipulate the evidence or, worse still, lose it altogether? Ruthless Seattle mayor, Patti Rainsford, announces her candidacy for state governor. She'll do anything to succeed. When her son is arrested for the rape and assault of a seventeen-year-old girl, Rainsford's political career is in jeopardy. Detective Linda Farrell is assigned to investigate. After twelve years working in SPD's sexual assault unit, her career is drifting, not helped by the single-minded detective's contempt for police protocol and the pressure of her failing marriage. The high-profile rape case is a rare chance to shine and maybe even get her life back on track. Nothing will stop her seeking justice for the young victim. With a mountain of personal debt and his wife's business on a knife-edge, Clark Stanton is facing financial meltdown. Then a stranger offers him a lifeline in return for a favor. As the manager of Seattle's crime lab, all Clark has to do is make the rape kit evidence against the mayor's son go away. Praise for CRIME AND JUSTICE: "Martin Bodenham's new Seattle-based thriller hits the ground running and doesn't let up for a minute. Crime and Justice has gripping page-turner in every bit of its DNA. A compelling tale of one policewoman's determination to seek the truth in the face of corruption and corrupted evidence." -Andy Griffee, author of the Johnson and Wilde crime mystery series "In Crime and Justice, Martin Bodenham has crafted a finely tuned, intelligent thriller with an engaging cast of characters. Full of corruption, back-stabbing, and plot twists, this is a novel you won't want to miss." -Chris Rhatigan, publisher of All Due Respect Books "Grips you from the very first page and doesn't let you go! Sinister and compelling, with a conclusion you won't see coming." -Derek Thompson, author of Long Shadows and The Complete Thomas Bladen Thrillers

During one of the first heavy snows of the winter, on the interstate outside the Twin Cities, Rushmore McKenzie is trapped behind an erratically-driven truck. Then a figure appears on the truck bed and a body is rolled out onto the road, right in front of McKenzie''s car. McKenzie avoids hitting the body, a bound woman who is barely alive, but his sudden braking in the middle of the highway starts a chain of accidents, resulting in a thirty-seven car pile-up. By the time the police arrive, and the EMTs and ambulances have taken care of the immediate injuries, the truck is long gone. <br><br>The injured woman awakens with no memories-not of the accident, not of anything-and is now referred to by the police as Unidentified Woman #15. With few leads, the detective in charge, McKenzie''s former partner and old friend Bobby Dunston, turns to McKenzie for a favor. Not that a favor is required, because when you dump a person in front of McKenzie''s moving car, he tends to take that personally. <br><br>Praise for UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #15: <br><br>"Housewright, winner of the prestigious national Edgar Award and three Minnesota Book Awards, strikes a perfect balance between fast-paced excitement as McKenzie chases the bad guys and his commitment to bar-owner Nina as they try to work out the nuances of their relationship since moving in together. All previous McKenzie thrillers earned high praise from critics, including several starred reviews, but in <i>Unidentified Woman #15</i> McKenzie comes alive as never before. It''s as though Housewright got a surge of energy that lets us into Mac''s mind so we know him even more intimately. And with a 12th book in a series, that''s a fine thing." -<i>St. Paul Pioneer Press</i> <br><br>"Housewright''s prose style is reminiscent of Donald E. Westlake''s: smoothly flowing, graceful, but never calling attention to itself. Rushmore is an amiable series lead... A strong addition to an always-reliable series, and a crime novel that will appeal both to readers looking for complex characters and satisfying style and to those interested mainly in story." -<i>Booklist</i> <br><br>"Take a well-written noir and mix it with humor and readers will anticipate this 12th series outing (after <i>The Devil May Care</i>), especially if they appreciate mysteries with a strong sense of place and an appealing sleuth who is still figuring out what to do with himself after leaving the police force. A solid choice for fans of Steve Hamilton, Dennis Lehane, or James Lee Burke." -<i>Library Journal</i> <br><br>"Unidentified woman #15 has no memory when she regains consciousness, but she believes the world is exactly the kind of ''place where sooner or later'' someone rolls ''you off the back of a speeding pickup truck.'' And here''s why I love McKenzie so much. Although he sees the world in a cynical way, he still tilts at windmills and fires stones from his slingshot. Housewright''s novels render the Twin Cities in familiar detail while helping us see things differently." -<i>Minneapolis StarTribune</i>

Long time grifters Sam and Rachel love two things: each other and the grift. On the run from the mob, the two lovers move from one con to the next, winning some and losing others, but always finding a way to survive.Episodes 10-12 of Season Two begins with The Sound of Breaking Bones by Eric Beetner. In Mississippi, Sam and Rachel pose as a godly couple running an adoption service, but they quickly run afoul of a local deacon whose tendencies run more to the Old Testament than the New.Scott Eubanks penned Episode 11, Still Life with Suitcase. This debut author''s work finds Sam and Rachel in Florida, working a variation of the fiddle scheme. Their targets are new money but the art involved is from an old master. The danger itself, however, is elemental.Episode 12, Down Comes the Night, officially closes out season two. Series creator and editor Frank Zafiro picks up with Sam and Rachel right where they left off in Episode 11. Deciding to face the threat of pursuing mobsters head on, the couple devises a plan to finally be free and safe. The life of a grifter, however, holds little hope of either.

Long time grifters Sam and Rachel love two things: each other and the grift. On the run from the mob, the two lovers move from one con to the next, winning some and losing others, but always finding a way to survive.Episodes 7-9 of Season Two begins with Gone Dead on You by Eryk Pruitt, a master of rural noir. Set in Pruitt''s fictional Lawles County, this tale brings an element of the supernatural into play as Rachel portrays a medium who speaks to the dead partner of a dirty cop as part of a revenge ploy.Swedish paranormal romance author Asa Maria Bradley penned Episode 8, Upgrade. When Sam and Rachel target a rich mark in San Francisco, the con is high tech but the strain on their relationship is even higher. Faced with a challenge they''ve never truly encountered before, the pair realizes they are risking more than their freedom on this one.Episode 9, The Money Block by Holly West, follows a reinvigorated Sam and Rachel in central California as they work a variation of an old scheme, updated for the digital age. But when their mark realizes he''s been taken, the repercussions are brutal, and Sam and Rachel lose more than they knew possible.

Sophie DeMusa had plans. Finish college. Go to med school. Save the world. She never planned to be in a hospital bed, in a coma after ingesting too many pills. The homicide detective standing over her didn''t plan to be there either. After all, she wasn''t dead.Detective Jesus De La Cruz was ready to turn away from the sad story of a suicide attempt. When his AA sponsor, Dr. Oscar Bollier, pressed, Cruz begrudgingly agreed to investigate. It should have been an open-and-shut case.Except, if it was suicide, why were there two different 911 calls?As Cruz digs into the weeks and months before Sophie''s hospitalization, he unearths a twisted knot of reality and perception. A sex scandal, a jilted lover, a callous director, a rainmaker, and a quid pro quo all made decisions and took actions that affected Sophie''s life. But did one of them try to kill her? The facts have Cruz questioning if there is such a thing as an innocent man.Truth is a strong rope, tied in a noose. As he closes in, the knot tightens, but who will pay the price? A killer or a member of Cruz''s own family?