Talk to anyone in Reston, Virginia, and they'll say Josh Handleman's dad, "Honest Abe," was a real mensch. But when Josh returns home to bury his estranged father, he gets the shock of his life: his thrifty dad was filthy rich. Oy! Who was this man who donated millions to charity, invested in the dreams of Josh's friends, and shared his home with a strange vodka-swilling Russian? Apparently, Abe collected diamonds too. But when Josh can't find the gems, he begins to wonder if his dad's death was truly an accident. Hounded by grief and remorse, Josh resolves to find his dad's diamond stash—which could be his inheritance and proof of his father's love. What he doesn't realize is that this emotionally charged treasure hunt is taking him closer to his dad's killer.
Author
Before Alan stepped off the corporate merry-go-round, he had an eclectic (some might say disjointed) career. As an engineer, he worked on nuclear submarines, supervised assembly workers in factories, facilitated technology transfer from the Star Wars program, and learned to stack washing machines three high in a warehouse with a forklift. He even started his own recycling and waste reduction newsletter business. Now he writes fiction. His debut mystery, DIAMONDS FOR THE DEAD, was a finalist for the Best First Novel Agatha Award. He writes the Last Laff Mystery Series: KILLER ROUTINE (#1) and DEADLY CAMPAIGN (#2), and has three e-book originals, THE TASTE (horror/thriller), FIRST TIME KILLER (thriller), and RIDE-ALONG (suspense). He wrote the thrillers RUNNING FROM THE PAST and PRAY FOR THE INNOCENT (winner of the ITW Thriller Award for Best E-Book Original). His novel, I KNOW WHERE YOU SLEEP is a Shamus Award finalist for Best First P.I. Novel. His YA thriller, I PLAY ONE ON TV, comes out July 19, 2021 from Down & Out Books. His short fiction has appeared in numerous publications, including JEWISH NOIR, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, CHESAPEAKE CRIMES: STORM WARNING, Mystery Weekly, NOIR AT THE SALAD BAR, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, five consecutive issues of the BEST NEW ENGLAND CRIME STORIES, THE NIGHT OF THE FLOOD, MICKEY FINN, and MYSTERY MOST GEOGRAPHICAL. His story, “Rule Number One” (SNOWBOUND, Level Best Books), was selected for the 2018 edition of THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES anthology, edited by Louise Penny. His story, "Dying in Dokesville," won a Derringer Award, and his story "Rent Due," is an ITW Thriller Award finalist. Alan recently moved to South Florida. He loves cake and arugula, but not together. For more info, please visit his website: www.alanorloff.com Alan is sorry he wrote this bio in the third person.
