In 2017, Kate and Dan Malmon edited Killing Malmon, 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. 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, Revenge of the Widow Malmon. In this collection, all the stories feature “Kate Malmon” plotting and executing her bloody revenge. As with the first anthology, all profits from Revenge of the Widow Malmon 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. 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’s the fall of 1882. Kentucky, the land of dark and bloody ground as the Indians called it, has far from recovered from the Civil War. The small town of Mercy, a rest stop for the emotionally and physically disfigured drifters left over from the war, will soon pay the price of the violence inherent in American culture, and the racism still palpable throughout the hills and hollers of rural Kentucky. The first sign of doom arrives on horseback: three outlaws wanted in Virginia and other parts for robbery and murder. A beautiful, tomboyish white young woman with blue tattoos on her face, markings from her time as a captive of Apaches; a former slave whose days of cowtowing to polite white society are over, and the most deadly and mysterious, the motley gang’s leader, Tompal Banks. But the source of Mercy’s impending doom, the rioting and bloodshed that touch the lives of every resident, from the alcoholic Marshal to the haunted Mayor, will come from within the community, incited by the apocalyptic gospel spoken by the syphilitic Reverend Thurman on the Banks of the Ohio to his congregation of repressed sexual deviants and bloodthirsty war veterans. Praise for OUT OF MERCY: “A savage, horrifying and gut-bustingly funny Western, set in an Old West that would have made John Wayne turn and run for his life and featuring a cast of characters so richly imagined I’m afraid they’ll turn up in my nightmares. I loved every word of it.” —Scott Phillips, New York Times bestselling author of The Ice Harvest “Think Elmore Leonard or Cormac McCarthy—with a dash of Nick Hornby to keep things suitably bent. But make no mistake—Ashley has a strong, savage, uncompromising voice of his own. Out of Mercy is the kind of flat-out, heart-stopping, psycho-emotional thrill ride that just might put this author on the map with the giants. Personally, I can’t wait to read more of Jonathan Ashley’s work—once I recover from this one.” —Jerry Stahl, New York Times bestselling author of Permanent Midnight “Hard, stark and brilliant, Out of Mercy is the best Western I’ve read in years.” —Benjamin Whitmer, author of Cry Father “A dark gem, a bleak tale of survival and revenge in the bloody hills of Kentucky. Vividly written, filled with compelling characters and laced with black humor, this is frontier noir at its best.” —James Reasoner, author of Texas Wind
Malefactors is defined as “those who commit an offense against the law”, or more simply put, “one who does ill toward another”. This collection of short stories from Jim Wilsky is chock full of them. Tales that are all different, yet all the same. The locales and characters range from rural to urban. Office buildings, swamps, wealthy estates and corn fields are some of the places. The people range from folks with money to flat broke, from those who have a lot on the line to those who have nothing to lose, old and young alike. There are stone cold killers to good guys and those in between. Those walking on that shaky bridge, that thin tightrope that connects good and evil. The stories all share the same common ingredients though. Plots that are brutal, chaotic, desperate, vengeful and violent. These pages paint the rage and burning fire that dwells within almost everyone but only surface and re-erupt in some. From guns, to knives, to swords and bare hands, this collection will push all the right buttons for crime fiction readers. These specially selected stories touch every base. So, buckle up and read on.
An arson in New Rhodes reveals the body of Julia Mae Jefferson, an eight-year-old African American girl in the city’s North Central District. Jack LeClere, the top homicide detective in the New Rhodes Police Department, is paired with a new partner for the case, Clyde Burris, a former New York City homicide-turned-New Rhodes PD Internal Affairs detective. Jack and Burris have a mutual distrust of each other, but that’s the least of their worries. In the heat of the ashes of that row-house, the search for a brutal killer awaits. New Rhodes is a city on the edge. An influx of new police recruits aren’t adjusting to the community they serve. A fight during a protest at a defunded community center begins a back-and-forth struggle between the New Rhodes Police and the North Central community that threatens the relationships that Jack and Burris need to find leads in Julia Mae’s case, including the already fractured relationship with the community’s lead activist, Marcus Ellison. A well-intentioned move by Jack to help with her funeral backfires as Ellison discovers the true nature of her murder that same day. Julia Mae’s world was one of neglect—of a child, and in fact, many of the North Central children—falling through the cracks. Jack and Burris follow her through those cracks and discover an underbelly of abuse and an industry of exploitation in the guise of a daycare center called Mount Vision. Jack and Burris, through their own struggle to build trust in a city where little can be found, find something that even the most cynical activists could never have imagined—a true wolf in sheep’s clothing, and a monster with an SS tattoo and a rebel flag in his window. To give Julia Mae justice, Jack, Burris and Marcus Ellison must make a temporary peace, and the city must come face-to-face with the fruits of its indifference. Praise for PRESIDING OVER THE DAMNED: “Presiding Over the Damned is a journey into the heart of darkness. Lucky for us Detective Jack LeClere is our fearless guide through the shadows.” —S. A. Cosby, author of My Darkest Prayer “Holy Moley! I was just going to read the first chapter of Liam Sweeny’s new novel, Presiding Over the Damned, and seven hours later, I finished it. What a page turner! Not since Peter Benchley’s Jaws have I had a novel pull me into the story with such voracity that I was afraid to stop reading, lest I miss what was coming next! The characters are crafted so skillfully that I felt I knew them, maybe I’ve even worked with them. Even the criminals seemed familiar. The story is so skillfully written, it almost seemed like Liam had worked with me at some point. On a scale from one to ten stars, I give this novel ten stars and highly recommend it to everyone.” —Michael G. Edwards, author of the Mike J. Rock, NYPD Homicide series “Take a deep breath before cracking the spine of Liam Sweeny's latest Jack LeClere novel, Presiding Over the Damned. It will be a while before you draw another one. Jack LeClere returns, hits the ground running, and races the reader through a deliciously twisted plot peppered with whip-crack dialogue amid breakneck pacing. If you have to pick one detective novel for 2018, make it Liam Sweeny's Presiding Over the Damned. Sweeny continues to deliver and should be on everyone's Must Read list.” —Eryk Pruitt, Anthony-nominated author of What We Reckon “Jack LeClere is a cop you want on your side. Liam Sweeny is a writer you want on your bookshelf. Presiding Over the Damned, more than a great addition to the LeClere series: a book that will not only gut you, but one you can't help but cheer on.” —Beau Johnson, author of The Big Machine Eats “Presiding Over the Damned is more than just a flash-bang police procedural; it’s also unafraid to plunge into some of the roughest, toughest issues of our time. If you’re a fan of Michael Connelly or George Pelecanos, you’re going to dig the heck out of this.” —Nick Kolakowski, author of Boise Longpig Hunting Club “Fast and violent like a fire, strong like Jack LeClere’s knuckles, and as brutal as a kid in a body bag, Liam Sweeny’s prose is a pleasure to read. Here’s an author doing the thing instead of talking about it, and he does it in a commanding manner and with an undeniable touch of swag. This is solid crime fiction done right.” —Gabino Iglesias, author of Zero Saints “Sweeney’s Presiding Over the Damned is a finely tuned crime fiction piece of powerful and provocative writing. The dialogue roars with authenticity, the tension is thick and the story is marinated in reality. If you are a fan of hard boiled crime fiction moving at the speed of a bullet, you’ll want to read this book. Sweeney’s books will certainly occupy a prominent place on my bookshelf.” —Pam Stack, host, Authors on the Air
Edited by Rick Ollerman. Alphabetical list of contributors: Scott Adlerberg, Eric Beetner, Kristi Belcamino, Michael A. Black, Michael Bracken, Don Bruns, Gary R. Bush, Austin Camacho, Dave Case, Jessie Chandler, Reed Farrel Coleman, Jen Conley, John Gaspard, Lois Greiman, Libby Fischer Hellmann, David Housewright, William Kent Krueger, Jess Lourey, Michael Allan Mallory, Terrence McCauley, Jenny Milchman, Stuart Neville, Rick Ollerman, Nick Petrie, Gary Phillips, Lissa Marie Redmond, Michael Stanley, Duane Swierczynski, Randy Wayne White, and Case Younggren. Many of today’s top writers get together to celebrate the themes of books and bookstores (and even a tuba or two!) As we celebrate the life of Mystery Writers of America Raven Award-winning Gary Shulze, long-time owner of the legendary Once Upon a Crime bookstore in Minneapolis. Gary left an indelible mark on the crime fiction community across the world before he passed away in 2016 due to complications from leukemia. Join as Duane Swierczynski, William Kent Krueger, Randy Wayne White, Jess Lourey, Stuart Neville and more come together in this tribute to a man whose legacy will not be forgotten.
Issue four closes our exciting first year with the very talented debut of Arthur Klepchukov. His intelligent “A Damn Fine Town” is followed by film director and writer John Shepphird and a prequel to his award-nominated “Shill” trilogy, a bit of a teaser for those of you who may not have discovered Jane Innes…yet. Brian Silverman is up next with a story set on his fictional Caribbean island of St. Pierre featuring his characters, Leonard and Tubby. The featured story this issue is of the most excellent Inspector Kubu by the writing team of Michael Stanley. If “Shoot to Kill” is your first Kubu tale, believe me, he’s only better when he’s in a novel. Our featured historical story is by the very prolific, very good Frederick C. Davis, who became one of Harry Whittington’s “St. Pete Boys,” the group of writers like Gil Brewer, Day Keene, and occasionally John D. MacDonald, that met on Sunday afternoons at Harry’s house. Davis’s story is the first Secrets, Inc. installment, “Blood on the Block.” We close out the issue with an offbeat heist story by Robb T. White called “Inside Man,” and a short piece by the always terrific Lissa Marie Redmond, who first appeared in issue two, called “We Don’t Talk About Lester Anymore.” There’s a good reason for that.
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
Joe Campion is the kind of teacher any child would want for their class. He’s also the kind of teacher who never turns down a drink, a smoke or a lay. When Joe finds out some of his students are suffering abuse, he doesn’t trust the system to take care of it. His impulsive nature, dedication to his pupils and love of women lead him on a long, strange and bloody trip. Praise for IN LOCO PARENTIS: “In Loco Parentis is terrific, start to finish.” —Charlie Stella, author of Tommy Red “Beautiful, painful and excruciatingly brilliant writing.” —McDroll, crime fiction author “A unique voice that sets the writing head and shoulders above and apart.” —Anonymous-9, author of Hard Bite and Bite Harder “The writing is beautiful and spare and by the end I felt a cathartic relief. This story is a roller coaster ride of emotion, but a ride well worth taking.” —Mike Miner, author of Hurt Hawks
Gentrification is moving in hard and fast in Montreal’s South-Western districts. D’Arcy Kennedy finds himself out of breath, out of a job and raising a kid in a small home meant for another era. As the bulldozers take away entire chapters of his life, he turns to old acquaintances for work, leaning in on his hard-earned reputation as a good PI to find employment with the Irish mafia. But even organized crime is struggling to keep up with the changing landscape of the City. Weed is going legal, trust funds are pushing realtors and people who would have not dared cross the Irish not so long ago now defy them carelessly. Navigating his past and staking his future on this new life, D’Arcy Kennedy will have to thread a razor thin line between the law, loyalty and his own family if he wants a place for him and his own at the end of it all. Praise for DOWN WITH THE UNDERDOGS: “A working class family man strikes a deal with the devil in Ian Truman’s fast-paced, volatile Down with the Underdogs. The result is class warfare on the streets of Montreal. Truman offers an unflinching portrait of a city caught in the throes of gentrification, and one person’s struggle to fight back. An excellent read.” —Sam Wiebe, author of the Wakeland novels. “Truman captures life on the edges—of culture, of language, of the legal and illegal, of the sane and the mad. And he tells a great story in the process.” —Warren Moore, author of Broken Glass Waltzes
You can never really escape your past… Michael Hoffman has come a long way from his deprived childhood in Chicago’s South Side. Now he’s a young, successful partner in a major New York law firm, handling some of its clients’ most prestigious M&A deals. With a beautiful wife, and two young daughters who look up to him, he has built the perfect life. But Michael has a secret: one that goes back to his childhood; a secret so dark it would destroy his family and brilliant career. Discovered by the wrong people, it would certainly get him killed. There is only one person who knows about his past, and he is a career criminal who manages a low profile hedge fund, bankrolled by Eastern European mafia money. Michael is safe, but only for as long as he agrees to feed details of his firm’s deals to the fund so it can make millions from insider trading.
