A Grifter's Song

Series · 33

books · 2019-2023

By J.D. Rhoades, Asa Maria Bradley, Colin Conway, and more

Books in series

The Concrete Smile

2019

Sam and Rachel are on the grift, on the make, and on the run. Long time grifters and lovers, the couple is in St. Louis to run a con on Barry Jacobsen, who owns a concrete business. But the clock is ticking on the deal, and on them. Mobsters from Philadelphia are one step behind, seeking revenge for the pair’s most recent scam. Caught between the dangers of this con being discovered and a mafia hit man finding them before they can wrap it up, Sam and Rachel walk a thin line of balance, striving to walk away with the money and their lives before their past catches up to them. Episodes in the A Grifter’s Song The Concrete Smile by Frank Zafiro People Like Us by J.D. Rhoades The Whale by Lawrence Kelter The Movie Makers by Gary Phillips Lost in Middle America by Colin Conway Losing Streak by Jim Wilsky

People Like Us

2019

Longtime lovers and con artists Sam and Rachel sign on to help Sam’s old mentor, a legendary grifter known as Aunt Sally, pull off a scam that leverages the racist sentiments, gimlet-eyed avarice, and sleazy lust of an odious white supremacist college professor. But the couple has dragged their past behind them, and the Philly mobsters they ripped off not so long ago have set a relentless hunter with a head full of demons on their trail, with a mandate to inflict as much pain as possible before he puts the couple in the ground. As they put the grift together, Sam and Rachel uncover secrets and surprises about Aunt Sally, her enigmatic partner William, and themselves. People Like Us is a story of love and loyalty, of the lies that we call history, and of people who fight to live and love outside the walls of normal society.

The Whale

2019

Peter Keys is a multimillionaire real estate developer and the adventurer, who hasn’t been seen or heard from in over a decade. Because of his clandestine nature he is the stuff a con artist’s dreams are made from. Manhattan’s University Club is the spot where the brilliant, wealthy, and uber-accomplished rub their silk-clad elbows. Posing as Keys, Sam attempts to rope a man of incredible wealth into buying, of all things, a diamond mine. Sam and his beautiful comrade Rachel begin working their con when it become clear that they’re not the only ones working a scam, but it’s unclear just which side of the con this interloper is on, a wrinkle that quickly turns this very complicated con into a nightmare. They’re playing for all the marbles on this one. With so much at stake will they come out on top or will the players become the ones who get played?

The Movie Makers

2019

Sam and Rachel are working a con in La La Land where the gold is for the asking as long as you can spin a captivating fable. Rachel’s character is an indie producer with Silicone Valley roots and Sam a life coach as they work their magic on the mark. All is going according to plan until the smiling gangster shows up and suddenly the scenario they created from fairy dust starts to evaporate as things go sideways…and they just might get out by the skin of their teeth.

Lost in Middle America

2019

Sam and Rachel are back and this time they’re in the heart of middle America. Sam is called to Lima, Ohio to help a former acquaintance, a pimp that helped him early in his career. This colleague wants revenge on the rival pimp who stole his business, his stable of girls, and his reputation. Another man’s redemption holds little interest to Sam, but the promise of a payday gets his attention. Rachel doesn’t want anything to do with this job. It’s got too many things going against it, starting with the target they’re supposed to con. A pimp with a nasty disposition and a quick temper is not a man to cross. However, she jumps in with Sam when they learn just how that rival pimp has been hiding his ill-gotten gains. To keep his extra cash out of the banking system, he’d been buying and hoarding high-grade comics and gold bars. They’re kept securely in a safety deposit box. All Sam and Rachel must do is figure out how to get into that box and get away clean. Now, the heat is turned up in mid-western Ohio as an untrusting pimp slowly realizes he’s being played for his fortune.

Losing Streak

2019

Sam and Rachel are on the run suffering through a losing streak of failed cons. Low on money, time and ideas they have no choice but to hunker down and regroup. In a small bar, Sam stumbles onto what he thinks what might be an opportunity. They need a win, any kind of victory to get them back on track. What follows is a rushed con that has is full of potential pitfalls, a fifty-fifty chance of being successful—at best. They question themselves and if they have the confidence to move forward. They do, with limited resources and relying on what they know, what they do and wounded pride. In the end they really had no choice because grifting is their life, in good times and in bad.

Come the Apocalypse

2021

Rocco Tolenti used to have an easy gig – bodyguard for Little Vincent. He watched over the mobster and occasionally did a little “heavy lifting” for him. But when a pair of con artists took Little Vincent for some money and fled the city, Rocco got a new full-time find the grifters and bring them back to Philadelphia. Because Little Vincent had a burning need for vengeance. Thus begins Rocco’s pursuit of the elusive duo all across the country. He won’t stop until he catches them. Nothing will get in his way, not even the end of the world.

Gone Dead on You

2020

Sam and Rachel are still down and out, scratching out survival level cash in short cons as they travel through out of the way areas. They’re spotted doing a con at the train station in Lawles County, and blackmailed into helping a man get revenge on his nemesis, Deputy Slade, by cheating the dirty cop out of the money he has stashed away.

Upgrade

2020

Sam and Rachel plan to lay low in Mexico, but target a rich mark in San Fran to finance the vacation. The con involves fake proprietary software that unethically captures user data for sellers. Rachel takes point, and is soon involved with the mark. When he pushes the boundaries with her, Sam gets uncharacteristically jealous, and the two longtime grifter partners encounter a strain on their relationship.

#10

The Money Block

2020

Longtime grifters Rachel and Sam are at it again, this time targeting Mack Foley, the owner of a chain of Sacramento area gyms. Posing as a CEO on tour to promote her company’s ICO, Rachel approaches him at an upscale South Lake Tahoe ski resort, hoping the financial fall out from his recent divorce will prompt him to invest in their fake cryptocurrency. Staging the con has left Sam and Rachel strapped for cash, so when the mark is reluctant to bite, they get nervous. But Foley is a gambler and it’s only a matter time before their hard work pays off—a little too well. They’ve hardly popped the cork on the celebratory Champagne bottle before they get some surprise investors and Rachel gets a surprise of her own. When Foley realizes he’s been played and hires a fixer to exact his revenge, Rachel and Sam find themselves on the run again. With everything they care about on the line, they’re in the race of their lives and this time, they might not win.

#11

The Sound of Breaking Bones

2020

In the aftermath of a mega-church scandal, Sam and Rachel take advantage of its adoption program shutting down, working a con with the desperate parents who just saw their opportunity to adopt a child fade away. Posing as an evangelical couple, the grifters quickly run afoul of a local religious order and a vengeful deacon.

#12

Still Life with Suitcase

2020

Using a variation of the fiddle con, Sam and Rachel pass off a fake Rembrandt painting, then manufacture a crisis to exert more pressure on the mark. This time, though, the money is secondary to them, as they try to secure some leverage against the gangsters who have plagued them for years.

#13

Down Comes the Night

2020

A battered Sam and Rachel realize they must take a sabbatical from the grift for an extended time to escape the vengeful mobsters hounding them. To survive, they must raid all of the honey pots they’ve left scattered across the country. Some may be watched by the mob, others will require a con to recover. They go after these caches of cash with danger—and death—lurking at every turn.

#14

The Reckoner

2021

Rocco Tolenti’s relentless pursuit of Sam and Rachel has taken him all over the country. With Little Vincent’s thirst for revenge driving him, Rocco’s diligent search never stops. He’s been close to catching them at times but the elusive duo always slips his grasp, sometimes fleeing before he even arrives. Until now. Now, he has discovered something critical. Not where they’ve been, but where they will be. And when they get there, Rocco will be waiting to exact Little Vincent’s vengeance. There will be a reckoning, and he will bring it.

#15

The Rule of Thirds

2021

This is Tijuana, MX. Rachel’s tending bar in a sex club and Sam’s doing illegal errands for Chito Ochoa, a wannabe cartel enforcer. They’re looking for their next mark. When Billy Jake, a dorky rich kid and ambitious documentary filmmaker, approaches Rachel about doing a doc on Mexican strippers, she convinces him there’s a better story to tell. Does he want to penetrate a Mexican cartel? It just so happens she’s got the keys to the kingdom. Sam takes Billy along for a few simple chores and it’s like waving crank in front of a junkie—the rich kid takes the bait. But he’ll need a kicker for his groundbreaking story, and Sam and Rachel know just the thing. All it’ll take is forty Gs of Billy's money. And why not buy in? This might be the greatest story Billy Jake ever gets to tell.

#16

The Down and Out

2021

Sam and Rachel take on Hollywood, playing the same writer/producer team they did when they conned a movie star a couple years back. This time their mark is a shady MD with Tinsel Town dreams and dangerous associates who use the homeless for medical fraud. While Rachel is stalked on a studio lot by a vengeful PI, Sam finds himself stranded on the streets without ID, money, or shoes. It’s a beat-the-clock trek through the wilds of L.A. as Sam uses his street smarts to escape his pursuers. Can Sam get to Rachel in time, or will he end up another faceless victim among the down and out?

#17

Travel Money

2021

What is travel money exactly? It’s that little bit of cash to get you to the next gig. In the case of Sam and Rachel it’s the expense money to get them from one con to the next. But you can’t live on travel money. Certainly not Sam and Rachel. In the story Travel Money, the cash serves to get our two favorite cons from the small con to the big one. Once they find their mark, they’ll be sitting pretty on the beach of their choice—and for a good long while. The score is not only big, the stolen item itself is huge. Our cons will be looking at more than a few dollars north of a million. Roping the mark will be no easy feat. Especially one as savvy as Francisco Glanis. Add to this, it appears as though a blast from the grifter’s past in the form of a hitter for the Philly mob has located Sam and Rachel. However, if the score goes down as planned in the quaint little affluent town of Buckeye, California, the relentless grifters will have toes in sand, cocktails in hands and won’t have to concern themselves with travel money…for a long time.

#18

Rocky Mountain Lie

2021

Sam and Rachel are on the grift in Vail, Colorado, where they’re working sex-crazed Texas business tycoon Dan Croft to invest in their fake marijuana edibles company. But little do they know that Denver private eye Rick Malone is also onto their mark, hired to track him down over money he stole in his own scam back in Texas. With stakes running high and temperatures running low, it’s anyone’s guess who will be left holding the cash when the smoke clears, and whose lives will be forever changed in the process.

#19

Open Up Your Heart

2021

Genevieve Davidson is a budding con artist. She’s a mostly-broke server at a roadside restaurant just over the Wisconsin border, but the young and wealthy of Chicago know her as Kendra, a carefree and world-traveling trust fund baby. In a rush to impress a friend—and pick up some extra cash to pay down her own debt—she let Sam and Rachel con her into a deal. But, “Kendra’s” friend is a younger cousin of Little Vincent. In return for her silence, Genevieve demands Sam and Rachel return the stolen cash, and asks for their help on a job. A local entrepreneur is willing to bribe an alderman for a lucrative plot of land tainted by a scandal-plagued murder investigation. With insider details from Genevieve’s old friend Marina—an assistant to the alderman who knows nothing of Genevieve’s double life—Sam and Rachel must slide into the deal themselves.

#20

Ride Like Hell

2021

The world of thoroughbred racehorses doesn't immediately sound dangerous, but when Sam and Rachel devise a lucrative con involving the breeding process, it gets that way fast.

#21

The Alpha Whisperer

2021

Aaron Sears has a quiet therapy practice. He doesn’t advertise. He only sees exclusive clients, all alphas in their field. And he’s good at what he does, getting the kinds of results alphas demand. When he agrees to see a couple whose relationship is struggling, he is immediately struck by two things. One is the lovely Portia, who gets under his skin in a way he hasn’t experienced in years. The other is a brooding sense of suspicion about the couple. Aaron is certain that something is off about them, that they’re lying to him or keeping a secret. Then again, Aaron Sears has a secret of his own…

#22

Dracula Wine

2021

Business mogul Trey Osborne has money, power, and worst of all, a desire to beat all of his competitors at anything and everything. When an enterprising con artist offers him a way to show up John Frye, his chief business rival, Osborne leaps at the chance. She brings Sam and Rachel into the mix, and the pair suddenly find themselves in a battle of money and wits amidst the world of stolen artwork. Compared to Osborne, they may lack money, but the pair has survived for decades on their wits. As the winding path of this con takes them from the wealthiest parts of Minneapolis to the secret places of an international airport and ultimately to the deserted woods of Canada, one thing remains constant throughout—the stakes have never been higher.

#23

Diamond Dogs

2022

Newark, New Jersey is nobody’s idea of a vacation. When an unexpected Nor’easter crushes their holiday getaway and leaves Sam and Rachel stranded at the airport, they befriend a mysterious, sophisticated stranger. They quickly recognize him as one of their own, a veteran grifter who poses no threat. When he extends them the hospitality of his hotel suite, they quickly decide it's a much better option than sleeping at the airport. But there’s a catch. There's always a catch. Their new friend is a Diamond Dog and he wastes no time asking if they’ll run with him.

#25

Concrete and Cocaine

2022

When Sam visits an Albany area gin mill and overhears two big Russian twins spouting off about their cash cow concrete business along with their desire to make a pulp fiction flick just like the great Tarantino, he can't help but smell a grift. When the sexy young female bartender informs him what the twins are really up to in the basement of their concrete plant—cooking meth and cocaine, and making a ton of cash in the process—Sam knows he can’t pass up the opportunity. With Rachael by his side acting as his “co-producer,” Sam transforms himself into Francis Strazzella, famed Italian-born movie producer who wants to make the twins’ movie and perhaps even persuade the mighty Tarantino to direct it. This ruse provides the perfect cover Sam and Rachael need for infiltrating the concrete plant and getting their hands on the stacks of cash that are no doubt to be found there. Only, no Tarantino movie ever goes the way you think, even if it is a cheap knock-off version…

#26

Ghost Image

2022

In an eerie lodge in the Pacific Northwest, Rachel poses as a medium with Sam as her technician, as the pair target the wealthy Axel Strauss. Strauss has some deep secrets of his own that are dangerously close to spilling over and the “supernatural” events that Rachel and Sam must manage for him only heightens the tension. Old and new betrayals, longstanding alliances, and unspoken agendas all come to a head as the snow flies, trapping everyone at the lodge. Can Rachel and Sam manage to con an angry skeptic and escape with the money? Or will their efforts fall short, adding their ghosts to the ones supposedly haunting this ancient location?

#27

The Low White Plain

2022

Terrified and on the run after a disastrous con in Dallas, grifters Sam and Rachel find themselves trapped by a blizzard in Nebraska. Low on cash and nerve, they find a local job that seems easy orchestrate the fake kidnapping of a down-and-out academic, then split the ransom with the "victim."But underneath all that open space, malice and hate breed quickly. Sam and Rachel soon discover everyone is lying, and that this simple job is a lot more complicated—and dangerous—than either of them expected.Trapped by circumstance and need, the grifters find themselves hunted by occultist Neo-Nazis, extravagantly armed private security, a crazed art dealer with cartel connections, and some of the most powerful institutions in the state, all while another blizzard bears down.Caught between family, faith, money, drugs and power, Sam and Rachel can only rely on their skills, and each other, or see their own blood spread atop the constantly falling snow.Praise for The Low White “Set against the bleakest snowstorm this side of the Apocalypse, The Low White Plain bubbles with white-hot energy and tension that threatens to slit a throat with every turned page. Come for the neo-Nazis, religious fanatics, and gun nuts, but stay for Paul J. Garth’s masterful exploration of two desperate criminals on the run. This is what they’re talking about when they talk about ‘noir,’ and Garth knows its pulsing heartbeat—even as characters bleed out across the barren landscape.” —James D.F. Hannah, Shamus Award-winning author of Behind the Wall of Sleep and She Talks to Angels“With The Low White Plain, Paul J. Garth has crafted a lean, mean, bloody machine. It zips as fast as a bullet on a winter’s day and delivers all the satisfactions of a con gone wrong.” —Nick Kolakowski, author of Love & Bullets and Payback Is Forever“In The Low White Plain, Paul J. Garth delivers breakneck action and a taut, razor-sharp plot that pits a couple of savvy con artists against a vicious Nazi cult, murderous hired guns and an old mark out to collect a blood debt. Another excellent addition to the Grifter’s Song saga.” —Dennis Tafoya, author of Dope Thief

#28

Dangerous to Know

2022

Using the confidential list they pilfered from Aaron Sears, Sam and Rachel delve into the world of artifact sales. Rachel poses as a museum curator while Sam takes on the role of rogue archaeologist. Their first marks are Robert and Evie Malvern, a wealthy couple who are known to quietly collect ancient artifacts via illicit means. But the grift hits a snag immediately when Robert Malvern turns the tables on them at gunpoint. The threat of death or prison is very real but he offers them a way if Rachel will pose as his missing wife for the next few days, he will call it even. It doesn’t seem like a difficult assignment but quickly becomes a disturbing one. Evidence mounts that Evie Malvern isn't missing but murdered. Meanwhile, Sam goes to great lengths to do what he can to protect Rachel, discovering along the way that the Malverns have gotten themselves into trouble with some vengeful criminals. Both he and Rachel realize that they are pawns in the Malverns’ latest gambit. The question is, does this realization come too late? Will Rachel survive her dangerous impersonation of Evie, or suffer the same fate? Is this the end for the grifters?

#29

Madam Tomahawk

2023

Sam and Rachel help out an old friend with a delicate situation that leads to an opportunity for a little blackmail. Their plans are disrupted, however, and they are quickly embroiled in a power struggle with the shadowy elite of the nation’s capital. Can Sam and Rachel match wits with these hidden movers and shakers? Or will they find themselves crushed underfoot?

#30

Good For It

2023

In between cons, Rachel and Sam stumble across a retirement community manager in desperate need of workers. Once they hear how posh the facility is, the grifters agree to temporary jobs. As soon as they arrive, the pair begins to plan their next move, completely unaware that some of the tenants are former mobsters. And worse yet, they’re bored.

#31

A Grifter's Song Vol. 2

2019

A Grifter’s Song, Created and Edited by Frank Zafiro. 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 4-6 of Season One begins with The Movie Makers by Gary Phillips. Sam and Rachel try to con an action movie star in Hollywood, posing as a producer and a self-help guru. But the Armenian mob gets involved, leaving us to wonder if Rachel and Sam will score, or end up on the cutting room floor? Colin Conway pens Episode 5, Lost in Middle America. When an old friend of Sam’s asks for help, the pair is hesitant to engage, especially since the man is a former pimp in Lima, Ohio. But the promise of riches in a safe deposit box convinces them both to assist ‘Bigs’ in his quest for revenge against a younger version of himself. Episode 6, Losing Streak, officially closes out Season One. Jim Wilsky paints a picture of Sam and Rachel on the tail end of a string of bad luck. Their desperation for a win drives them to do business with an arms dealer who is into more than just Saturday night specials. Episodes 1-3 of Season One are featured in A Grifter’s Song Vol. 1.

#32

A Grifter's Song Vol. 3

2020

Long time grifters Sam and Rachel love two 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.

#35

A Grifter's Song Vol. 6

2021

Long time grifters Sam and Rachel love two 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 16-18 in Season Three begin with Rocky Mountain Lie by Michael Pool. Sam and Rachel are on the grift in Vail, Colorado, where they’re working sex-crazed Texas business tycoon Dan Croft to invest in their fake marijuana edibles company. But little do they know that Denver private eye Rick Malone is also on to their mark, hired to track him down over money he stole in his own scam back in Texas. With stakes running high and temperatures running low, it’s anyone’s guess who will be left holding the cash when the smoke clears, and whose lives will be forever changed in the process. Carmen Jaramillo penned Episode 17, Open Up Your Heart, and introduces us to Genevieve Davidson, a budding con artist. She’s a mostly-broke server at a roadside restaurant just over the Wisconsin border from Illinois, but the young and wealthy of Chicago know her as Kendra, a carefree and world-traveling trust fund baby. In a rush to impress a friend—and pick up some extra cash to pay down her own debt—she lets Sam and Rachel con her into a deal. But in a surprising turnabout of events, “Kendra” finds herself with some leverage over the couple and forces them into a con of her own making involving a corrupt alderman. Episode 18, Ride Like Hell, officially closes out Season Three. S.A. Cosby takes us into the world of thoroughbred racehorses. While exciting, this doesn’t immediately sound dangerous. But when Sam and Rachel devise a lucrative con involving the breeding process, it gets that way fast.

#37

A Grifter's Song Vol. 8

2022

Long time grifters Sam and Rachel love two 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 26-28 of Season Four begin with Ghost Image by Kat Richardson. In an eerie lodge in the Pacific Northwest, Rachel poses as a medium with Sam as her technician, as the pair target the wealthy Axel Strauss. Strauss has some deep secrets of his own that are dangerously close to spilling over and the “supernatural” events that Rachel and Sam must manage for him only heightens the tension. Old and new betrayals, longstanding alliances, and unspoken agendas all come to a head as the snow flies, trapping everyone at the lodge. Can Rachel and Sam manage to con an angry skeptic and escape with the money? Or will their efforts fall short, adding their ghosts to the ones supposedly haunting this ancient location? Paul J. Garth penned Episode 27, The Low White Plain . Terrified and on the run after a disastrous con in Dallas, grifters Sam and Rachel find themselves trapped by a blizzard in Nebraska. Low on cash and nerve, they find a local job that seems easy orchestrate the fake kidnapping of a down-and-out academic, then split the ransom with the "victim." But underneath all that open space, malice and hate breed quickly. Sam and Rachel soon discover everyone is lying, and that this simple job is a lot more complicated—and dangerous—than either of them expected. The duo can only rely on their skills, and each other, or see their own blood spread atop the constantly falling snow. Episode 28, Dangerous to Know, closes out Season Four in spectacular fashion. Hilary Davidson takes us into the world of fake artifacts and their collectors. Rachel poses as a museum curator while Sam takes on the role of rogue archaeologist, targeting Robert and Evie Malvern, a wealthy couple who are known to quietly collect ancient artifacts via illicit means. But the grift hits a snag immediately when Robert Malvern turns the tables on them at gunpoint. The threat of death or prison is very real but he offers them a way if Rachel will pose as his missing wife for the next few days, he will call it even. This seemingly easy task turns out to be a most dangerous one, leaving the grifters to wonder if this is the end of line.

Authors

J.D. Rhoades

Author · 13 books

J.D. Rhoades is America's foremost writer of the genre known as "Redneck noir," and his biography reads like "Tobacco Road" as written by Hunter S. Thompson. Rhoades never knew his parents; he was found abandoned on the steps of a cut-rate Filipino tax preparation service in Slidell, La. As a child, he was bounced around between a series of orphanages, reformatories and opium dens. His first brush with the law came when he shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. He was seven years old at the time. Rhoades first turned to drugs at the age of five, when he discovered you could get high by snorting Nestle’s Quik through a rolled up copy of Highlights magazine. Since then, he claims to have ingested marijuana, peyote, heroin, psilocybin, uppers, downers, screamers, laughers, dried banana peels, glue, paste, mucilage, LSD, DMT, STP, ABC, CNN, TLC, Sterno, Drano, Bondo, Ketamine, Dopamine, glucosamine, Ovaltine, and Krispy Kreme. He hit rock bottom when he did all of them in the same night and woke up two weeks later, hanging upside down by his knees from a tree limb in Duluth, Minn., and singing an aria from “Die Fledermaus.” In German, a language that he does not speak. Rhoades is rumored to have once killed a stripper with a fondue fork and disposed of the body using an electric pencil sharpener over a period of 14 hours. Ii is not known whether the rumors are true that Rhoades kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby, nor can reports that he was the shooter on the grassy knoll when Kennedy was shot be confirmed. He does, however, know Tom DeLay personally. -Biography contributed by James Frey

Asa Maria Bradley

Author · 18 books

USA Today Bestselling Author Asa Maria Bradley grew up in Sweden surrounded by archaeology and history steeped in Norse mythology, which inspired her sexy paranormal romance and urban fantasy series. Subscribe to her newsletter at www.asamariabradley.com/newsletter. Booklist attributes Asa's writing with “nonstop action, satisfying romantic encounters, and intriguing world building” and Entertainment Weekly says “when it comes to paranormal romance with explosive action scenes, Bradley has that nailed.” Her work has received the honors of a double nomination for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA contest, a Reviewers’ Choice Award nomination, a Holt Medallion win, and a Booksellers’ Best Award win. Asa came to the United States as a high school exchange student and quickly fell in love with ranch dressing and crime TV dramas of all flavors, two addictions she unfortunately still struggles with. Currently, she lives on a lake deep in the forest of the Pacific Northwest with a British husband and a rescue dog of indeterminate breed. Sadly, neither of them obeys any of her commands.

Colin Conway

Author · 28 books

Are you on BookBub? You can follow Colin there at: www.bookbub.com/profile/colin-conway Colin Conway is the creator of the 509 Crime Stories, a series of novels set in Eastern Washington with revolving lead characters. They are standalone tales and can be read in any order. He also created the Cozy Up series which pushes the envelope of the cozy genre. Libby Klein, author of the Poppy McAllister series, says Cozy Up to Death is “Not your grandma’s cozy.” Colin co-authored the Charlie-316 series. The first novel in the series, Charlie-316, is a political/crime thriller that has been described as “riveting and compulsively readable,” “the real deal,” and “the ultimate ride-along.” He served in the U.S. Army and later was an officer of the Spokane Police Department. He's owned a laundromat, invested in a bar, and ran a karate school. Besides writing crime fiction, he is a commercial real estate broker. Colin lives with his beautiful girlfriend, three wonderful children, and a codependent Vizsla that rules their world.

Michael Pool is the author of thrilling crime, mystery, and detective novels. Michael’s stories are crafted from real-life experiences, most recently from his full-time work as a private investigator. Michael holds a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Western Colorado University, and is the author of three full-length novels: the noir mystery novel Rose City; the Elmore Leonard-reminiscent crime novel Texas Two-Step; and the first book in the Riley Reeves female private investigator mystery series, Throwing Off Sparks (set for release in May 2020). Michael is also the author of the Seattle-set crime noir novella, Debt Crusher. Michael’s work has been compared to writers such as Sue Grafton, Robert Crais, and Joe Lansdale. Michael’s crime and mystery short stories have appeared in magazines such as All Due Respect, Heater, and Thuglit, as well as in multiple crime anthologies, including The Eyes Of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods. Michael was the editor of the cult classic 80s-themed crime fiction anthology, Fast Women and Neon Lights: 80’s-inspired Neon Noir. Michael lives and writes in Denver, Colorado, where he works as a private investigator by day and trains grappling martial arts by night. He can also often be found roaming the countryside in his home away from home, Vancy Pants. Find him online at www.michaelpool.net.

Hilary Davidson was a journalist before she turned to the dark side and started writing crime fiction. Her novels include the award-winning Lily Moore series—The Damage Done, The Next One to Fall, and Evil in All Its Disguises—the bestselling Shadows of New York series—One Small Sacrifice and Don’t Look Down—and the standalone novels Blood Always Tells and Her Last Breath (coming in July 2021). She is also the author of some fifty short stories. Her fiction has won two Anthony Awards, a Derringer Award, and a host of other accolades. Toronto born and raised, she moved to New York City in October 2001. She is also the author of 18 nonfiction books.

Nick Kolakowski's work has appeared in The Washington Post, McSweeney's, Washington City Paper, Playboy, LOST magazine, Trader Monthly, WebMD, and eWeek, among other venues. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Matt Phillips

Author · 3 books

Matt Phillips lives in San Diego. His books are A GOOD RUSH OF BLOOD, QUIET AND THE DARKNESS, TO BRING MY SHADOW, COUNTDOWN, KNOW ME FROM SMOKE, THE BAD KIND OF LUCKY, ACCIDENTAL OUTLAWS, REDBONE, BAD LUCK CITY, and THREE KINDS OF FOOL. His short fiction has been published in Tough, Mystery Tribune, Retreats from Oblivion, Shotgun Honey, and Out of the Gutter. More info at www.mattphillipswriter.com

Lawrence Kelter

Author · 24 books

Lawrence Kelter is the bestselling author of the Stephanie Chalice Mystery Series. A resident New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn and residing on Long Island. He often uses Manhattan and Long Island as backdrops for his stories. He is the author of three novels featuring street savvy NYPD detective, Stephanie Chalice: Don't Close Your Eyes, Ransom Beach, and most recently, The Brain Vault. Early in his career, he received direction from bestselling novelist Nelson DeMille, who put pencil to paper to assist in the editing of his first book. He was also a member of a private writing workshop led by the late soap opera legend and AFTRA president, Ann Loring. His novels are quickly paced and routinely have a twist ending.

Frank Zafiro

Author · 34 books

A former police officer, Frank writes gritty crime fiction from both sides of the badge.

Gary Phillips

Author · 27 books

GARY PHILLIPS has been a community activist, labor organizer and delivered dog cages. He’s published various novels, comics, short stories and edited several anthologies including South Central Noir and the Anthony award-winning The Obama Inheritance: Fifteen Stories of Conspiracy Noir. Violent Spring, first published in 1994 was named in 2020 one of the essential crime novels of Los Angeles. He was also a writer/co-producer on FX’s Snowfall (streaming on Hulu), about crack and the CIA in 1980s South Central where he grew up. Recent novels include One-Shot Harry and Matthew Henson and the Ice Temple of Harlem. He lives with his family in the wilds of Los Angeles.

Gabriel Valjan is the author of the Roma Series, The Company Files, and the Shane Cleary Mysteries. He has been listed for the Fish Prize three times, shortlisted for the Bridport Prize once, and received an Honorable Mention for the Nero Wolfe Black Orchid Novella Contest. Gabriel has been nominated for the Agatha, Anthony, Silver Falchion Awards, and received the 2021 Macavity Award for Best Short Story. Gabriel is a member of the Historical Novel Society, ITW, MWA, and Sisters in Crime. You can find Gabriel on Twitter (@GValjan).

Kat Richardson

Author · 15 books

Bestselling author of the Greywalker paranormal detective novels. Former theater brat, singer, dancer, gemology and jewelry course-writer, liveaboard boater, and editor. Currently lives in the wilds of far-western Washington with her husband and dogs.

"The story of Vincent Zandri is the story of our times." —Business Insider "Vincent Zandri hails from the future." —The New York Times “Sensational . . . masterful . . . brilliant.” —New York Post "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. Winner of the 2015 PWA Shamus Award and the 2015 ITW Thriller Award for Best Original Paperback Novel for MOONLIGHT WEEPS, Vincent Zandri is the NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and AMAZON KINDLE OVERALL NO.1 bestselling author of more than 60 novels and novellas including THE REMAINS, EVERYTHING BURNS, ORCHARD GROVE, THE SHROUD KEY and THE GIRL WHO WASN'T THERE. His list of domestic publishers include Delacorte, Dell, Down & Out Books, Thomas & Mercer, Polis Books, Suspense Publishing, Blackstone Audio, and Oceanview Publishing. An MFA in Writing graduate of Vermont College, his work is translated in the Dutch, Russian, French, Italian, and Japanese. Having sold close to 1 million editions of his books, Zandri has been the subject of major features by the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and Business Insider. He has also made appearances on Bloomberg TV and the FOX News network. In December 2014, Suspense Magazine named Zandri's, THE SHROUD KEY, as one of the "Best Books of 2014." Suspense Magazine selected WHEN SHADOWS COME as one of the "Best Books of 2016". He was also a finalist for the 2019 Derringer Award for Best Novelette. A freelance photojournalist, freelance writer, and the author of the popular "lit blog," The Vincent Zandri Vox, Zandri has written for Living Ready Magazine, RT, New York Newsday, Hudson Valley Magazine, The Times Union (Albany), Game & Fish Magazine, CrimeReads, Altcoin Magazine, and many more. He also writes for Scalefluence. An Active Member of MWA and ITW, he lives in New York and Florence, Italy. For more go to VINZANDRI.COM

A past president of the Private Eye Writers of America, David Housewright has published 28 crimes novels including In A Hard Wind (June 2023 St. Martin’s Minotaur) and has contributed short stories to 15 anthologies and other publications. He has earned an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America, a Shamus nomination from the PWA, and three Minnesota Books Awards. A reformed newspaper reporter and ad man, he has also taught writing courses at the University of Minnesota and Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. His name and face were recently added to “Minnesota Writers on the Map” by the Minnesota Historical Society and Friends of the St. Paul Public Library.

Eryk Pruitt

Author · 8 books

Eryk Pruitt is a screenwriter, author and filmmaker living in Durham, NC with his wife Lana and cat Busey. His short films FOODIE and LIYANA, ON COMMAND have won several awards at film festivals across the US. His fiction appears in The Avalon Literary Review, Pulp Modern, Thuglit, and Zymbol, to name a few. In 2013, he was a finalist for Best Short Fiction in Short Story America and has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes for 2014. His novel Dirtbags was published in April 2014, and HASHTAG will be published in May, 2015. A full list of credits can be found at erykpruitt.com.