Outlaws. It's what makes the best of country music and crime fiction. Sometimes it's hardened criminals: murders, thieves, and convicts, sometimes it's just a poor fool driven to the edge by hard times, hard drinking, or a hard lover. In this collection you will find stories from the best voices in crime fiction inspired by the best voices in outlaw country music. Stories with: ¿ An off-books mercenary trying to save a trucker's delivery from a beautiful thief ¿ An ex-con dealing with small town prejudice...and armed robbery ¿ Outlaw newlyweds running from a Tri-county druglord ¿ A young girl seeking solace in the company of dogs bred to fight that she never found in family ¿ A wife discovering the other woman is not what she thought ¿ A writer finding out what prison is really like Stories by J.L. Abramo, Trey R. Barker, Eric Beetner, Levi Black, Michael Bunker, Delilah Dawson, Les Edgerton, Christa Faust, Tommy Hancock, Grant Jerkins, Ken Lizzi, Riley Miller, James A. Moore, Bobby Nash, Mel Odom, Eryk Pruitt, Jay Requard, Charles R. Rutledge and Ryan Sayles.
In April of 1968 Steve McQueen arrives in San Francisco to film Bullitt. Rough-and-tumble SFPD Inspector Johnny O'Rorke, aka The Fixer, is the department's Executive Protection Officer. His job is to make sure that visiting celebrities are well taken care of. O'Rorke is instructed to take special care of McQueen; the city's movers and shakers are hoping to develop San Francisco into Hollywood North. McQueen takes a liking to O'Rorke, and when Russ Cortig, a member of his film crew, is busted at a wild Haight Ashbury party, he asks O'Rorke to try to have the charge dismissed. Fixing Cortig's arrest sheet is a minor problem, but it leads O'Rorke into a tangled web of intrigue and corruption that includes the murder of one of his longtime informers, a crossdresser who goes by the name of Vanessa the Undresser, tangling with a Chinatown drug lord, being shot at by a sadistic Soviet hit man, going up against a wealthy former Russian Mafia leader now living in San Francisco, dealing with a vicious local gangster, Alec Zek, aka The Swine, and a chasing after a priceless blue diamond known as the Stalin Blue. If that isn't complicated enough, O'Rorke breaks into a real sweat when McQueen asks him to make a screen test for a part in Bullitt. ***Praise for Jerry Kennealy*** "Kennealy always delivers hard-boiled excitement nicely with humor and style." -Booklist "Kennealy's characters, combined with his seasoned ability to weave several plot elements into a smooth whole, make his books stand out in the crowded thriller genre." -Publisher's Weekly "Kennealy's nicely crafted stories always hold my interest. Never a wasted word." -San Francisco Chronicle
Billy Lafitte is back... Back from the brink of death. Back on the Gulf Coast, his home stomping grounds, looking to reunite with his beloved one last time. Back in the sights of DeVaughn Lagrenade, a former gangbanger whose brother was gunned down by Lafitte and his partner during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Back in the mind of his biggest nemesis, Franklin Rome, who swings back into Lafitte's orbit in a most unusual way. Throw in a wild-eyed waitress looking for some violent kicks, an ambitious FBI agent slithering up the administrative ladder, a wannabe bad boy on Lafitte's tail with a young psychopath in the passenger seat, and you've got the makings of a rumble that only a prayer to Santa Muerte might help Billy survive. Cult crime-novelist Anthony Neil Smith is like a modern-day Charles Willeford. He doesn't just step over "the line," but drag-races past it and keeps on going. With this fourth novel in the Billy Lafitte's series, Smith raises the stakes once again for his damaged ex-cop turned stone cold killer. You'll root for Lafitte all the way, and wish you hadn't, and hope to hell he survives so you can do it all again.
With inferno stories, George Williams returns with another original and electrifying collection. Two home invaders put on trial a descendant of San Juan Capistrano's oldest families for the sins of his ancestors. A man encounters a cult that mistakes him for both savior and sacrifice. Two screenwriters in search of a story follow a strange man from Istanbul up the coast of Italy to Duino, where he carves into a tree a baffling equation that changes their marriage forever. A fired White House speechwriter travels south along the East Coast in stolen rowboats with a woman he meets under a D.C. bridge, leaving a comedy of chaos in their wake. In the title story, a retired sex worker in L.A. turned trickster and avenging angel settles dozens of scores with methods of punishment both ancient and modern. Inferno takes the reader from east Texas to Catalina Island, from ancient Rome to cedar forests of Provence, from the low country of Savannah to the burning hills of Southern California. Brazen bulls and kamikaze pilots, karaoke and crucifixions, the canals of Venice and the killing fields of the I-45 corridor all figure in these twelve superbly crafted stories written in a subtle and daring range of voices and styles. Williams opens the door onto a world of uneasy inhabitants, credulous creatures who want the truth they already know they cannot bear, characters fully human in their heartbreak, cruelty, and capacity for self-deception. ***Praise for George Williams*** "George Williams writes with an electric energy, unpredictable inventiveness, and deft ear for dialogue that makes him one of the most exciting and compelling writers of his generation." -Richard Burgin, author of Rivers Last Longer and Shadow Traffic "...shows a darkly comic sensibility more akin to that of the filmmaking Coen brothers (think Barton Fink) than to more obvious literary influences...Recommended to adventurous readers, who will surely enjoy Williams's wildly irreverent inventions." -Library Journal "Williams paints a grotesque picture of modern America, one filled with witches and terrorists, con men and succubi. Actually, I don't know if there are any actual succubi in the pages . . . but it sure feels like there should be." -Popmatters "George Williams, a self-described "reformed anarchist," writes a hyper-controlled, smart and taut prose that goes beyond the spare exactness of the Moderns. The sentences seem so easy, but their accretion is sly: William's prose unveils a tough and dense vision, the steady shock of a live snapping wire." -Stephen D. Geller
Nominated for the 2017 Anthony Award for Best Anthology/Collection Here you are in New Jersey, but not Soprano-land New Jersey, this is central Jersey, the edge of the Pine Barrens, where the everydayness of life is interrupted by devils and angels, murderers and saviors, cheaters and music fans. Bobby Kovacki adores his married girlfriend but is compelled to search for Janine, his hard-partying former classmate who has gone missing. Metalhead Marty, odd-looking and shy, has the chance of a lifetime when he joins the band Dark Beast. Tyrell Colton uses a two-foot-long pipe to avenge himself from a bully. Eleanor Webb, eighty-four, deals with her low blood pressure and a violent neighbor. In the title story, scrappy soccer player, Jade, veers down a path in the woods and stumbles upon a trio of terrifying drifters. And in several different tales, police officer Andrea Vogel, widowed and quietly brokenhearted, attempts to rescue the elderly, help an old boyfriend out, and connect with a young rape victim. Brutal and fierce, the characters in these linked stories search for meaning in their lives but more importantly, they search for the humanity in themselves. "Jen Conley has the rare ability to imbue her stories with an emotional heft that is both subtle and powerful within the darkness. Amongst the other writers with that similar (and extremely rare) skill set, none do it as well as she does." -Todd Robinson, author of The Hard Bounce "Far from the concrete wasteland of the Turnpike lies the dark heart of the Garden State, and Cannibals carves it out still beating. Jen Conley writes with the soul and poetry of Springsteen, pure blue collar Jersey Gothic. These stories take a big bite out of you." -Thomas Pluck, author of Blade of Dishonor
Charlie Wiggs is a quiet, unassuming accountant who has worked in a Glasgow firm for thirty years. When he agreed to look after a package for a work colleague, he didn't expect to be flung from the roof of a forty-story building. He didn't intend to be caught up in a world of money laundering and blackmail. Nor did he ever think he would find himself being hunted by a vicious criminal gang. Forced to flee for his life Charlie is reluctantly joined by George, a maintenance man, and Tina, George's girlfriend. The trio find themselves falling into a world they are ill-equipped to deal with. A world populated by criminals and death. A world that gives them three choices: run, die or fight back... ***Praise for Falling*** "With its intriguing perspective, blistering action and swarms of dodgy guys in suits, this is an explosive, harrowing riot that has movie potential written all over it." -Daily Record "The action in this novel grabs you by the throat, punches you in the body then gives you a good slapping." -Caro Ramsay, author of The Tears of Angels "Brown keeps a firm, skillful grip on his material in what turns out to be a very promising debut novel." -The Herald
Nominated for the 2017 Anthony Award for Best Novella Tommy Ruzzo is a disgraced NYPD cop who follows his coke fiend girlfriend back to her hometown in Florida. She leaves Ruzzo high and dry just before he's named Head of Security at Precious Acres, a beachfront retirement community populated by wisecracking New Yorkers. Ruzzo is stranded among the local losers until the day he discovers a murdered senior citizen on the Precious Acres bocce ball court. The bodies pile up as Ruzzo uncovers a dangerous trail of clues that brings everybody in his new world under suspicion.
It's 1980 on Florida's Gulf coast. Sun, drugs, gambling debts, and dirty deals push Navy-prison parolee, Scotland Ross, deeper into the life of crime he never wanted. His sister's life, a potential newfound love, and his own freedom are all on the line as he tangles with a redneck gangster intent on becoming the state's next governor. Will Scotland make the right choice or the one that keeps him alive? Beachhead is dark noir set in the state of sunshine. A story of crime and loyalty, love and hate, and choices made when everything you care about is on the line.
It's 1960 and Frankie Valentine is doing just fine. The transplanted New York photographer is living it up in the Hollywood sunshine surrounded by beautiful women more than willing to dispose of their clothes and pose. He has no reason to go back east. That is, until the body of a childhood friend, who had disappeared in 1950, turns up. Valentine flies back home to lend his expertise as a crime scene photographer and help out a friend who's in a jam. Instead he finds a compromised crime scene, a hidden stash of cash, and trouble. A Junkie stripper and her mother-a woman who ushered Valentine into manhood-a mob boss racked with jealousy and homicidal rage and assorted low-lifes all roll out the unwelcome mat. It's all blood, money, sex and lies...sealed with a Cougar's Kiss.
***PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SEMPER FI FUND*** A WORLD AT WAR. A LONE MARINE FIGHTING TO SURVIVE. Charlie Doherty, the hero of PROHIBITION and SLOW BURN returns in a novella of World War I. 1918 -As a corrupt patrolman in New York City, Charlie Doherty had the ward bosses of Tammany Hall and other political cronies to watch his back. But in the hell-storm that became known as the Battle of Belleau Wood, only his rifle and his training keep him alive. After taking cover behind a fallen tree during the worst of the German shelling, Doherty links up with a brave Marine captain and a ragtag crew of survivors who realize the only way out of danger lies not in retreat, but in marching toward the sound of the gunfire. They fight the enemy wherever they find them, hoping to hold back the advancing German tide long enough for the shaken American forces to regroup and re-enforce them. They lean forward. They dig in. They fight back. Doherty and the others began the day as Marines. But by the time it is over, they will be part of a battle that helped secure the reputation of the United States Marine Corps as one of the most feared fighting forces in the world. They will become known as THE DEVIL DOGS OF BELLEAU WOOD.
Malcolm Cavanaugh Bleekston, MC Bleak, McBleak, enjoys hobnobbing with the one percenters and stealing from them. In The Extractors, he puts his life on the line to take a greedy man's gain while wondering if his girlfriend sees through his façade. Ned "Noc" Brenner is a drifter with an unusual skill set-he's an extreme athlete good at whatever he does be it MMA fighting to riding a motorcycle off a mountaintop. After winning in an all-night poker game, this sets in motion a series of events in The Anti-Gravity Steal where Noc must use all his abilities to prevent wholesale destruction. Part Shaft and part Batman sans the cowl, Luke Warfield, a philanthropist with a black ops background, the Essex Man, goes on the trail in 10 Seconds to Death of the villain who killed his foster father and uncovers not only ghosts from his past, but must stop a deadly plan of mass slaughter in his own backyard. Bonus Essex Man short story, "Murder by Remote Control."
Her role in the con game was to be the shill before the scam exploded in bloody violence. Discarded, sacrificed like a pawn, Jane's left holding the bag. The swindlers left a murderous trail and millions of dollars are missing. The problem; Jane knows too much. She's a liability they can't afford to keep around. But the con artists underestimated Jane. They miscalculated her tenacity and will-to-survive. Not one to be crossed, her plan is to use their own weapon, the "art of deception," against them. Facing insurmountable odds Jane sets out to settle the score with fierce determination, and a few tricks up her sleeve. THE SHILL is part two of a trilogy from Shamus Award winning author, John Shepphird. "Hell hath no fury like an actress duped. Revenge is the motivation, deception the means to get even in this exciting crime thriller." -Scott Adlerberg, author of Spiders and Flies and Jungle Horses
The real estate mogul is lying about something, but his wife really was raped twenty-years ago in an unsolved assault. Now she's long dead by her own hand, the case has gone cold, and the mogul starts dropping cash into former Saint Ansgar homicide detective turned private eye Richard Dean Buckner's wallet to find some answers. Just hours later Buckner's old homicide partner calls up. His grandmother was just killed in a drive-by that hit the wrong address. People that stupid need to be taught harsh lessons, and vengeance just so happens to be one of Buckner's finer skills. Everything circles the drain as Buckner finds himself at war with the worst gang the city has to offer as well as the slithering rapist who has resurfaced just to tie the loose ends from the twenty year-old crime. Buckner doesn't back down, and if that means getting himself carjacked so he can interrogate the gang bangers, pose as the mogul's secret lover and chase the rapist into a women's shower room so he can beat him mercilessly, so be it. Just another day.
When Jack was six years old, his parents were brutally slain by a serial killer. The police later found drifter Clyde Colsen driving a stolen car, his clothes soaked in blood. He was tried, convicted and executed. Jack grew up knowing the police got their man. Now a decorated homicide detective in New Rhodes, Jack arrives at the third crime scene of the "South End Killer" murders and finds his name. He will soon find out something else: thirty years ago, they got the wrong guy. And now the right guy's come back to pay Jack and New Rhodes his bloody respects. As Jack struggles to stay on the case, his cat-and-mouse game with the killer makes him wonder if he's the cat or the mouse. His family and everyone in his life is fair game. As the killer escalates and threatens the entire city, Jack has a question he must answer in his desperation: can he stop the monster without becoming one? Praise for WELCOME BACK, JACK: "I've been following Liam Sweeny's writing career for several years. He started out pretty good and now-with Welcome Back, Jack -he's become smokin' good! I predict this novel will propel him to the highest ranks of novelists writing police procedurals. That may look like I'm climbing out on a limb and if so, it's an extremely stout and solid limb. This ranks with the best of the genre and Sweeny is poised to become a writer of the highest rank. Remember his name-you're going to be seeing it a lot." -Les Edgerton, author of The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping, The Rapist, The Bitch and others "A new dark, very dark star has appeared in the noir spectrum and what a star it is. Welcome Back, Jack is the real deal, as down and deliciously dirty as it gets but with a wonderful fresh style and artistry that is as compelling as it is addictive. This is one hell of a start to what promises to be a unique series." -Ken Bruen, author of the Jack Taylor series "When a triple homicide in New Rhodes bears worrisome similarities to one from police officer, Jack LeClere's, childhood, nothing can stop him from following the sinewy clues to their horrific conclusion. As long as writers like Liam Sweeny can work the police procedural to such great affect, readers will follow Jack back to the gritty streets of New Rhodes gladly. Sweeny's writes beautifully and Welcome Back, Jack is full of memorable characters. Claustrophobics beware!" -Patricia Abbot, author of Concrete Angel "Equal parts police procedural and psycho-thriller, Liam Sweeny reinvents a genre with Welcome Back, Jack. When serial killing gets personal, Jack LeClere is dragged underground into the past. Literally. With crisp, taut dialogue, fast-paced action, and more plot twists than the subterranean tunnels Jack must navigate to earn redemption, Sweeny taps into modern-day, urban paranoia, mining the best of Ellroy, Cain, and Westlake. Sweeny pays homage while tearing up some serious new ground." -Joe Clifford, author of Lamentation and December Boys "Do yourself a favor: Before you start reading Welcome Back, Jack, clear your schedule. You're not going to be able to stop until you've seen it through to the explosive finale." -Rob Hart, author of New Yorked
It's been three years since Mustafa Bahdoon, one-time leader of the Southside Killaz, saved his fugitive son Adem from the clutches of pirates in Somalia. But when Mustafa is asked to rescue a young girl from the gang's sex trafficking empire, he returns from retirement to seize control once again. But his coup ignites a vicious gang war on the streets of Minneapolis. Meanwhile, still haunted by guilt over the girl he left behind in Somalia, Adem reprises the role of Mr. Mohammed, legendary pirate negotiator. But the CIA is on his tail and he soon finds himself unwillingly enmeshed in a deadly campaign against organized crime. Half a world apart, survival for both father and son depends upon telling friend from enemy, truth from lie, and their own true selves from the roles they must play. Once A Warrior is the highly anticipated follow-up to the award-winning All The Young Warriors. Praise for ONCE A WARRIOR: "A complex book with likeable, complete characters who I was rooting for despite their many faults. THIS is the kind of thriller that should be on every airport bookshelf." -Chris Rhatigan, author of Wake Up, Time to Die "This is a book that can make a long trans-Atlantic flight pass as if it's barely been minutes since take-off. It would be perfect for the beach on a lazy holiday. It's just what you need to take your mind off the cold outside when you're sitting by a fire in mid-winter. It's a great read start to finish wherever you happen to be and whatever the situation." -Nigel Bird, author of Southsiders "The novel takes on some of the most urgent social justice issues of our times: sex-trafficking (making young girls into slave-prostitutes, to be blunt), drug and gang violence, the disillusionment of unwelcome immigrants, the chaos and despair that comes in the blend of terrorism and ungoverned Middle East/African nations and territories...I don't have answers to those questions, and I'm not sure Smith does, either. But he raises the questions, and that may be the more important thing." -Dana Yost, poet and essayist
Winner of the 2012 Spinetingler Award for Best Novel: Rising Star! When two of the Twin Cities' "Lost Boys"-young Somali men drafted to fight for terrorists back in the homeland-kill a pair of cops on his home turf, detective Ray Bleeker is left devastated. One of the dead cops was his girlfriend. The investigation grinds to a halt when he discovers that the young murderers have fled to Somalia to fight in the rebel army. He's at his wits' end until the father of one of the boys, an ex-gang leader called Mustafa, comes looking for answers. Bleeker and Mustafa form an uneasy alliance, teaming up to help bring the boys back home. But little do they know what Somalia has in store for them. Praise for ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS: "A brilliant book, possibly the best novel of the year." -Les Edgerton "Written with a sureness of hand and a depth of character that are impressive. A highly accomplished crime novel exposing an often unseen world." -The Big Issue "All The Young Warriors will grip readers who enjoy the chance to slip into a foreign culture and also those who want a page-turning thriller" -Spinetingler Magazine "A powerful story that is both riveting and meaningful" -Crime Fiction Lover "This book is a classic in the making" -I Meant To Read That "All The Young Warriors is a pretty rare beast, a clever page-turner. It deserves to be a bestseller and has film adaptation stamped all over it." -Loitering With Intent "A courageous novel that raises a lot of pertinent questions" -Dead End Follies "Smith writes with force and clarity" -The Chicago Tribune "Smith's version of Minnesota is no Lake Wobegon; the inhabitants are refreshingly made up entirely of the deranged, the damaged, and the doomed. If you can picture the intellectual and physical mayhem that might have resulted from a Jim Thompson and Harry Crews collaboration, you'd be on the right track. But Anthony Neil Smith is his own writer-and a very fine one, indeed." -Booklist
Three beautiful women are murdered in an Irish pub in Syracuse. The cops think it's an open and shut case, pointing the finger at bar owner James John Smith. But when the police fail to find Smith or any trail to his past, the mother of one of the victims hires former karaoke star and stripper Bill "Free Willy" Tedesco to investigate. The deeper Tedesco digs, the more secrets of the dead and living surface, and the question of who pulled the trigger becomes more important than why.
The girl has gone missing. Again. But this time people are trying to kill her. Trying to burn down everything she has touched or left behind. The girl's surrogate father feels responsible and to assuage his guilt, he hires Richard Dean Buckner, former Saint Ansgar homicide detective turned private eye to ferret her out. Buckner was doing fine as a bare-knuckles detective for the PD until he was rendered "unserviceable" by a hit attempt. Early retirement doesn't sit well with that type of man, half predator and half savior. He takes the case, and from two ex-boyfriends who ruined their lives for the girl, her rapist dad, drug dealers she burned for thousands, an uncomfortable meeting at the local Incest Survivors group to whoever is setting fire to her life, Buckner is going to need all his guts, instinct and .44 Magnum to finish the job. Because in Saint Ansgar, what doesn't kill you only makes you wish it did. Praise for The Subtle Art of Brutality "Richard Dean Buckner is just the hero for our modern world: a righteous killer who can step outside convention and right the wrongs; and Sayles is just the writer to drive his story. This is how I like my fiction: unrelenting prose and kick-ass justice." -Joe Clifford, author of Lamentation "The brutality is in the prose. Course and violent, Sayles writes like he is seeking vengeance against the world. It's 21st century noir. Mickey Spillane on meth." -Tom Pitts, author of Knuckleball "As subtle as brass knuckles to the face. Buckner is a classic and Sayles is one to watch." -Eric Beetner, author of Rumrunners and The Year I Died Seven Times "...Richard Dean Buckner left me wanting more. He is a breath of fresh air in an antiques shop. A biker in a museum. A chaotic, reckless anomaly. You know I'm enjoying something when I deliberately slow down my reading pace to enjoy the novel longer. The Subtle Art of Brutality is a ridiculously strong first novel, starting the new darling of the P.I novels legacy." -Benoit Lelievre, blogger and reviewer at Dead End Follies "Gut twisting detective fiction done the way it is supposed to be done. RDB makes Dirty Harry seem a little soft." -Todd Morr, author of Jesus Saves, Satan Invests "The Subtle Art of Brutality is a nut busting slice of noir. All of the required hard-boiled elements are present and accounted for..." -Chris Leek, author of Gospel of the Bulley "The Subtle Art of Brutality is a testosterone-and-meth cocktail, a relentless blast of tough guy intensity. 21st-century hardboiled." -Warren Moore, author of Broken Glass Waltzes
Ten remarkably diverse short stories filled with scheming characters, unexpected twists, and writing that'll sneak up on you from the Edgar Award winning crime novelist. "A good short story is like a punch from a prize fighter-it comes at you fast, delivers an impact, and leaves you stunned. There's no one in our business who does this better than David Housewright. In great story after great story, he proves himself a master of the art of short fiction. This is a collection that should be on every reader's bookshelf." -William Kent Krueger, NY Times Bestselling Author of the Cork O'Connor series A reformed newspaper reporter and ad man, David Housewright has published 16 crime novels including PENANCE (winner 1996 Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America), and PRACTICE TO DECEIVE, JELLY'S GOLD, and CURSE OF THE JADE LILY-all winners of the Minnesota Book Award. He was elected President of the Private Eye Writers of America in 2014.
13 sordid and salacious tales of hustlers, lovers and losers, killers and thrillers carousing in a charade of lust, love, luck, and murder... where shifty, shady types clamor to survive, when no way out seems to be the only way out... "You read stuff like this and the top of your head comes off. This is pure dark, stark, powerful poetry." -Les Edgerton, author of The Bitch, The Rapist and The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping "It's top shelf writing with a bloodshot eye for the gutter." -Charles Benoit, Edgar-nominated author of Relative Danger and You "De Blase wields a big heart and a bigger knife for twisting." -Jack Getze, Spinetingler Magazine
Who wants to kill Austin Carr? Everybody. He's a stockbroker. About to be ingeniously murdered -- snatched off a private fishing yacht by a live, six-hundred-pound giant bluefin -- a down-on-his-luck stockbroker recalls the events and bad choices that precipitated his gruesome end. His killer - Mr. Blabbermouth -- might be any of a dozen suspects, including a steroid-crazed wrestler angry over Austin's poor investment recommendations, a jealous sales manager often the target of Austin's jokes, and a widow with long red hair, sexy curves, and plenty of secrets. Or could there be another suspect Austin overlooked entirely until he stepped on board that yacht? This is the first book of the Austin Carr mystery series penned by Jack Getze. "Darkly comic, with an engaging protagonist." -- T.J. MacGregor, Edgar Winner, Author of The Tango Key Mysteries "Big Numbers is a gritty, sexy, violent, and funny book." -- Liz Clifford at Reviewed by Liz "Wonderful characters...well-written, entertaining...a good read." --Connie Anderson for Armchair Interviews "Indiana Jones has his whip and Luke Skywalker has his light saber, but for Austin Carr, his full-boat grin is the weapon of choice." --Melissa for Lou Reads "Jack Getze started his career as a newspaper reporter. As a result, BIG NUMBERS is lean and mean, with not a word wasted. A truly fun, genuinely funny read." --Lisa Guidarini for Bluestalking Reader
After nearly two decades in prison, high school gridiron great Dan Parrish returns to his hometown in rural Kansas with nothing more than a duffel bag and a desire to quietly get on with his life.But picking up the pieces in a place where he was once revered isn’t as easy as he hoped, especially for a convicted felon in the Bible Belt. And in no time Dan has landed squarely in the crosshairs of an old, high school nemesis, the unctuous Judge Rick Hunter who warns Dan to “leave Echo now or be sent back where you came from.”When Dan is offered a dream job—a coaching staff position with the Echo Junior College football team—he must decide between accepting the offer and risking his newfound freedom; or leaving Echo, tail between his legs, and breaking the promise he made to his dying father.Meanwhile, Dan is falling fast for his college professor, a beautiful but enigmatic outsider who challenges him to stay in Echo. And in an odd twist of fate, Parrish’s final decision results in an outcome that splashes his name and face across every county news outlet in Kansas, forcing the former star to face off against his two most formidable adversaries: his age and his checkered past.Praise for SPLINTER CITY:“Splinter City is an action-packed homecoming tale with a satisfying twist. Dan Parrish, ex-con, ex-football star, is a fascinating, complex character who braves the prejudice of a small town that may not be ready to forgive his alleged sins.” —Deborah Shlian, winner of Florida Book Award for Rabbit in the Moon and Royal Palm Literary Award for Silent Survivor“Thomas Wolfe said, ‘You can’t go home again,’ but haven’t we all gone back, or wanted to? If you haven’t, you can go back vicariously by reading Splinter City, a fine new novel by established authors Shawn Corridan and Gary Waid. Travel with Dan Parrish as he deals with homecoming, heartbreak, and small-town football.” —David Bishop, author of The Third Coincidence“When a former local football hero returns home to a small Kansas town after eighteen years in prison he discovers even the secrets have secrets, and the forces that tried to ruin his life are still there, now more powerful, ready to finish the job. Don't read it on a work night. Highly recommend.” —Mike Pace, author of One to Go“Corridan and Waid spin a masterful tale of redemption with surprises at every turn. A great read.” —Robert B. McCaw, author of the Koa Kane Hawaii mysteries
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