Frank Zafiro

Colin Conway

SOME DEGREE OF MURDER, a River City Mystery by Frank Zafior and Colin Conway. 5th in series.

Some Degree of Murder

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.

The Concrete Smile

Gary Phillips

Joe Clifford

Dana King

John Shepphird

Holly West

Travis Richardson

Hector Acosta

Carmen Jaramillo

Mark Bergin

Tom Pitts

Matt Phillips

Paul Garth

James L'Etoile

It's eviction day for The Hope Apartments. The residents have known about it for over a year. It's too bad they ignored all the warning signs. More than a century ago, developer Elijah Hope constructed a state-of-the-art hotel. As the generations passed and tastes changed, The Hope spent two decades as an underutilized office building before conversion into a low-income housing project. Rundown by years of human occupation, The Hope has become a hollow shell of its once great self. It is home to drug addicts, petty criminals, and those hiding from others. The city has long turned a blind eye to The Hope as surrounding neighborhoods gentrified and pushed their disaffected in its direction. But now The Hope is preparing a return to its original glory. The current owners plan to convert it into a boutique hotel. The only thing standing in their way is the eviction of over one hundred units. Each resident knew this fateful day was coming, yet most chose to believe it would never arrive. They ignored the posted signs, the hand-delivered warnings, and even the actual notices. Many stayed until the bitter end. These are their stories. The Eviction of Hope is a collection of fourteen short stories from crime fiction's freshest voices. Get your copy today and experience The 509 in a completely new way.

A 509 Crime Anthology

The Eviction of Hope

Bonnie R Paulson

How deep into the sex slave industry will you go to save someone you love? How far will your duty take you? On the surface, Heather Williams buys and sells young women in a burgeoning underground sex trade. But not everything is as it seems. She is really "Gus" MacIntyre, and undercover detective, targeting human traffickers and rescuing the desperate women they enslave. But how far will she go to stop them? And where does her job end, and duty begin? "Bull" Porter seems like a prototypical macho hunter who owns a sporting goods store. But when his niece Taylor suddenly disappears, he plunges into the search for her with the same ferocity he stalks prey in the wilderness. The only difference is that this hunt takes place on the dirty streets of the city's underbelly, and the hunted can turn the tables in an instant. How far will Bull go to save his niece? As Gus and Bull battle with human traffickers to recover Taylor, both must face their own struggles and secrets...and eventually each other. Faced with political pressure and a ticking clock, they soon realize that nothing is free in this world. Nothing comes easy. For everything, there is a trade-off. The Trade Off is written in a dual first person narrative format, giving the reader the intimacy of the first person as well as the breadth of knowledge that comes with third person narrations. An additional point of interest for the reader: the male character of Bull was written by Bonnie R. Paulson, while Frank Zafiro wrote the female character of Gus.

The Trade Off

Eric Beetner

A Bricks & Cam Job #1 When the mob finds itself on hard times and has to lay people off, the boss decides to give two different hitters separate lists of "overdue accounts" - a backlist - to see who distinguishes themselves enough to remain on the payroll. The sharp-tongued Bricks and the hapless, eager to please Cam find themselves faced with challenges they never imagined when they got into the business. But there's no other choice than to settle out the names on... The Backlist.

The Backlist

Frank Scalise

A violent robber is loose in River City. Meet the cops that must take him down.Stefan Kopriva, a young hotshot. Katie MacLeod, a woman in what is still mostly a man¿s world. Karl Winter, about to retire but with one more good bust left in him. And Thomas Chisolm, a former Green Beret who knows how dangerous a man like the Scarface Robber can be.These are the patrol officers of River City ¿ that mythical thin blue line between society and anarchy. They must stop the robber, all the while juggling divorces, love affairs, internal politics, a hostile media, vengeful gang members and a civilian population that isn¿t always understanding or even grateful.Written by a real cop with real experience, Under a Raging Moon is like a paperback ride-along. Enjoy the ride.

A River City Crime Novel

Under A Raging Moon

Bill Fitzhugh

Kat Richardson

Jonathan Brown

Sarah M. Chen

Nick Kolakowski

Sam Wiebe

Brian Thornton

Scott Kikkawa

Debbie Mack

Jim Winter

A Bag of Dick's

Brett Battles

Ty Hutchinson

Jeff Soloway

Tim Ellis

Richie Narvaez

Rick Murcer

Jonathan Ashley

Gary Ponzo

Kathy Bennett

Austin S. Camacho

The “black car” has appeared both conspicuously and inconspicuously throughout the annals of fiction—its presence both mysterious and menacing, its appearance enough to pause your heart. It’s the sedan just within sight that seems to be mimicking your speed and movements as you walk down the dark deserted street late at night. As the hairs rise on the back of your neck you wonder, Who is behind the wheel and what is the driver’s intent? It’s The Black Car Business and its presence means your life is about to abruptly change. You try to assure yourself there’s nothing wrong, but your pace quickens nonetheless, and soon you’re running, desperate for that narrow sliver between two buildings to slip through, the one too narrow for the black car to pass through. It’s that car parked just down the block that sends chills down your spine and keeps you awake throughout the night. It’s the sanctuary you race toward when you’re being chased, only to explode when you turn the key. It’s the one that skids off the icy mountain overpass and plunges into the cavernous grotto. It’s where Clemenza garrotes Carlo just as he’s about to be driven to the airport. It’s The Black Car Business. If The Black Car Business Volume 1 made you nervous Volume 2 will have you climbing the walls. Here are eleven fresh takes on that ominous black whip coming out of nowhere to stun and lay waste to your psyche. You may lose a few nights sleep but we promise it will be worth it. Contributors: Jonathan Ashley, Brett Battles, Kathy Bennett, Austin S. Camacho, Tim Ellis, Ty Hutchinson, Rick Murcer, Richie Narvaez, Gary Ponzo, Jeff Soloway, and Frank Zafiro.

The Black Car Business Volume 2

Michael Bracken

There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order. Each episode of Guns & Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag. Episode 1: “Tacos de Cazuela con Smith & Wesson” by Gary Phillips. Episode 2: “Three Brisket Tacos and a Sig Sauer” by Michael Bracken. Episode 3: “A Gyro and a Glock” by Frank Zafiro. Episodes 4-6 of Season One are featured in Guns + Tacos Vol. 2.

Guns + Tacos Vol. 1

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.

A Grifter's Song, Book 12

Down Comes the Night

Jim Wilsky

BLOOD ON BLOOD by Frank Zafiro and Jim Wilsky. 1st in the Ania Series. "Dark and nasty good. I haven't had this much fun reading about two brothers since Cain and Abel." -Brad Parks, Shamus Award and Nero Award-winning author of The Girl Next Door

Blood on Blood

It is the nightmare of every community - a school shooting.When a disturbed teenager masterminds this terrible event, everyone in River City is plunged into the darkness that surrounds it. The students and teachers try to survive, and the men and women of RCPD try to save them. But when things go horribly wrong, everyone seems to be looking elsewhere for someone to blame.Officer Katie MacLeod is among many who discover that the nightmare doesn't end when the shooting stops.Takes place in 2001.

Place of Wrath and Tears

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.

Frank Zafiro

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