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Set in Las Vegas, the highly atmospheric, deeply noir Dragonfish, Vu Tran’s first mystery novel, takes its name from the Asian arowana, an endangered fish that’s supposed to bring good luck and keep evil away. But in the story of the intertwining lives of Robert, the Oakland cop, Suzy, his Vietnamese wife and Sonny, the Vietnamese gangster who is Suzy’s second husband, the promise of the fish’s power fails to fulfill either goal

Vu Tran © Chris Kirzeder_300dpiDragonfish mech 3p_r12.indd

 

Photo of Vu Tran ©Chris Kirzeder

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In The Redeemers, Ace Atkins’ newest crime novel, it’s the holidays and the about-to-be-ex Sheriff Quinn Colson encounters evil deeds and profound stupidity—and sometimes it’s hard to tell which is the more dangerous

 

Ace Atkins (c) Joe WorthemREDEEMERS

 

Ace also talks about writing for Garden & Gun, the award-winning magazine that covers the best of the South, including his essay in G&G‘s latest book, Good Dog.

 

good dog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo of Ace Atkins ©Joe Worthem

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Fina Ludlow is back in Brutality, Ingrid Thoft’s latest mystery about the thirtysomething Boston-based private investigator

Ingrid Thoft Credit Doug Berrett BRUTALITY

 

In a bit of a departure for Fina, she takes a case that doesn’t come through her family’s law firm. Initially, her dad isn’t happy about it. But then, when is Carl Ludlow, patriarch of the deeply dysfunctional Ludlow clan, ever completely happy with Fina?

 

Photo of Ingrid Thoft ©Doug Berrett

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I, Ripper, Stephen Hunter’s version of the story of Jack the Ripper, is a bloody good take on the timeless tale. And we mean that in every way

 

StephenHunter (c) Kelly CampbellI,Ripper CVR

 

 

Readers of Stephen Hunter’s three series about the Swagger clan, know he’s a firearms’ savant. In our interview, Steve discusses the Howdah (below), an unusual gun that plays a role in his novel.

 

howdah-side

 

Photo of Stephen Hunter ©Kelly Campbell

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Our next three interviews will take us all over time and geography

  • Sharon Bolton’s Little Black Lies is set in the Falkland Islands in the mid-1990s
  • In The Bomb Maker’s Son, Robert Rotstein stays close to home (at least for us) in L.A.’s Westside, but the story begins during the protests to the Vietnam War
  • Stephen Hunter’s I, Ripper explores unambiguously frightening territory: the mind of Jack the Ripper in late 19th century London.

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In her foreword to the re-publication of Compulsion, Meyer Levin’s remarkable novel based on the 1924 Leopold and Loeb trial in Chicago, Marcia Clark—who knows a thing or two about “Trials
of the Century”—reminds us that almost 60 years after its publication, Levin’s look at the justice system’s role in society continues to ring true

 

Marcia Clark photo by Claudia KuninCompulsion jacket

 

Far from being in any way dated, true-crime trial junkies as well as fans of legal procedurals will find Compulsion as fresh and compelling as anything being written today.

Photo of Marcia Clark ©Claudia Kunin

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In Pleasantville, Attica Locke picks up the story of activist-turned-environmental lawyer Jay Porter, who she introduced to us in her debut thriller, Black Water Rising

 

Attica Locke 2015, credit Jenny Walters Pleasantville jacket

 

In her own words, Attica was thrilled that Pleasantville was published when it was. You see, for the foreseeable future she plans to be otherwise engaged with another writing project: being a writer and producer of the breakout hit Empire, which has just been renewed for its second season.

Photo of Attica Locke ©Jenny Walters

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