FROM THE ESSENTIAL RAYMOND BENSON COLLECTION Three "Spike Berenger Rock 'n' Roll HITS" in one volume! This anthology contains two novels: "A Hard Day's Death" and "Dark Side of the Morgue" (Shamus Award nominee for Best Paperback Original P.I. Novel of 2009, Private Eye Writers of America), plus a short story, "On the Threshold of a Death" (a Spike Berenger Rock 'n' Roll Hit SINGLE)! "A frantic dash through the world of rock and roll. Thrills a-plenty and backstage passes to the magical mystery musical twilight zone." — IAN ANDERSON of JETHRO TULL A HARD DAY'S DEATH: Spike Berenger and his team, Rockin' Security, must find out who killed the aging rock star Peter Flame... was it his ex-wife? A former bandmate? A religious cult that had become Flame's groupies? A member of one of the mysterious rock 'n' roll gangs terrorizing New York? With so many potential suspects and so many possible motives, only a rock 'n' roll insider like Spike could hope to wade through the rumors and the legends and find the cold hard facts... and a cold-blooded killer. "A sizzling story full of classic thriller twists, humor, and a dead-on look at the music business. A Hard Day's Death is number one with a bullet!"— JEFFERY DEAVER DARK SIDE OF THE MORGUE: Shamus Award Nominee for Best Paperback Original P.I. Novel of 2009. The Rockin' Security team is called into action in Chicago, where musicians of progessive rock bands are being murdered—one by one. As Spike and his partner, Suzanne, investigate the case, they find that no one wants to talk. As Spike digs deeper, he begins to unearth a lode of deadly secrets involving sex, psychedelic drugs, and, of course, rock 'n' roll. And it isn't long before the private detective becomes a pawn in a very dangerous game. "Spike Berenger is so real that I even tried looking him up in my address book in order to give him a call! Best rock read you will ever find!" — RICK WAKEMAN "Benson is a top-class thriller craftsman who knows showbiz and music like the back of his hand. An unbeatable combination." — LEE CHILD ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DEATH: In this rare short story that appeared in Crimespree Magazine, Spike and his team must stop an assassin from gunning down a political candidate during a fundraiser at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Author Raymond Benson has published over twenty-five books. Between 1996-2002, he was the official author of the James Bond 007 novels and penned nine titles. His other works include the New York Times best-selling "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell" and "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell—Operation Barracuda" (written as "David Michaels"), two "Metal Gear Solid" novelizations, and a number of original thrillers, including "Sweetie's Diamonds," "Torment," "Artifact of Evil," and more. His latest hardcover is "The Black Stiletto," the first in a new series, out in September 2011.