J.L. Abramo

Homeland Insecurity is, on one hand, the story of two men accused of taking the lives of three fellow human beings—a fifteen-year-old girl in Mahwah, New Jersey and two young police officers in El Segundo, California. Two men born 8 days apart in 1934. Two men who died 57 days apart in 2017. Crimes that were committed 140 days apart in 1957. At a time when Americans were beginning to feel less and less confident about the safety of their families. One convicted murderer spent nearly fifteen years on death row at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, one-time home of Lindbergh baby kidnapper Bruno Hauptmann and Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, where he continually professed his innocence. The other perpetrator escaped arrest and conviction for more than 45 years. At the same time, this is an account of the hits and misses of the law enforcement agencies and legal institutions which—over the course of nearly five decades—eventually stumbled upon justice. Finally, it is a look at the post-World War II American experience leading up to the murders in 1957, and the profound changes to come after. When Rock & Roll, rebels without a cause, and catchers in the rye burst upon the American scene. When the fear of nuclear annihilation and real-life scary monsters crept into the national consciousness. And when those three murders in 1957, and a growing sense of national insecurity, may have had mutual effect.

The Birth of an Era of Unrest in America

Homeland Insecurity

San Francisco private investigator Jake Diamond is known for his stained neckties and stash of sour-mash whiskey; but Jake is more likely to be toting a worn paperback Classic novel than a handgun. More over-easy than hard-boiled, Diamond can be beaten up and knocked around without taking it too personally; but when his friends and loved ones are threatened, it’s a different story. When a Chicago thug known as Ralph Battle bursts into the office of Diamond Investigation waving a 44 magnum at Diamond and his trusty assistant, Jake has the distinct feeling that missing his lunch of fried calamari may not be the worst of his problems. Jake accompanies Battle to Chicago at the mandatory request of Max Lansdale, a mob-connected attorney, who asks Jake to search for a pair of ghosts and will not take no for an answer. Pushed to the edge, Jake is ready to put his rusty .38 to use to get Lansdale off his back. Running between San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles, Diamond tries to stay one step ahead of the man who will have Jake killed with no remorse as soon as Diamond proves useless. With the help of Joey Russo and a team of Jake’s familiar cohorts, including Vinnie “Strings” Stradivarius, Darlene Roman and Sonny “The Chin” Badalamenti, Jake may be saved from becoming a murderer himself. May be. Trying to escape the wildest ride of his life; Jake is counting on luck, counting on a group of unlikely heroes, and counting to infinity. Praise for COUNTING TO INFINITY: “Fans of Mafiosi fiction should be the most satisfied.” —Publishers Weekly

Counting to Infinity

THE DOG DAYS OF AUGUST IN BROOKLYN and the detectives of the Sixty-First Precinct are battling to keep all hell from breaking loose. Lives are taken in the name of greed, retribution, passion and the lust for power—and the only worthy opponent of this senseless malevolence is the uncompromising resolve to rise above it, rather than descend to its depths. The heart pounding sequel to the acclaimed novel GRAVESEND— from Shamus Award-winner J. L. Abramo—CONEY ISLAND AVENUE continues the dramatic account of the professional and personal struggles that constitute everyday life for the dedicated men and women of the Six-One and of the saints and sinners who share their streets. “As Chandler brought life to sun-drenched Los Angeles with his rich and vivid descriptions, and Hammett’s Continental Op gave you a San Francisco where you could taste the gin and feel the fog, Abramo paints an equally richly textured portrait of Brooklyn. You taste the lasagna, smell the coffee, hear the sound of the elevated train. CONEY ISLAND AVENUE is an emotionally packed chronicle of good and evil, triumph and tragedy and—just below the surface—Abramo’s narrative is a universal tale of fathers, mothers, sons and daughters.” —The Denver Review Praise for GRAVESEND “In our top five for best of 2012 is J. L. Abramo’s GRAVESEND. This is a remarkable book that will tie you in knots as you wait to see how it all plays out. A truly exceptional novel.” —Crimespree Magazine

Coney Island Avenue

Joyce Carol Oates

Joe R. Lansdale

Rob Hart

Hilary Davidson

Alison Gaylin

Joe Clifford

Ryan Sayles

Kelli Stanley

Reed Farrel Coleman

Grant Jerkins

Alec Cizak

Holly West

Patricia Abbott

Thomas Pluck

S.W. Lauden

Angel Luis Colón

Trey R. Barker

Paul J. Garth

Kent Gowran

Jeffery Hess

Tim O’Mara

Tom Pitts

Keith Rawson

Nominated for the 2017 Anthony Award for Best Anthology/Collection *** Proceeds from the sales of Unloaded will benefit the nonprofit States United To Prevent Gun Violence (CeaseFireUSA.org) *** For the first time, more than two dozen crime and mystery authors have joined together to use the strongest weapon at their disposal—words—in a call for reasonable gun control in the U.S.A. In this collection you get all the thrills and excitement you come to expect from a great crime story, but without any guns. From best sellers and writing legends to the brightest stars of the next generation of crime writers, the twenty-five authors here have taken pen in hand to say enough is enough. Gun violence has got to stop and this is our way of speaking out—by showing that gun violence can be removed from the narrative, and maybe from our lives. It's not anti-gun, it's pro-sanity. And above anything else, these are thrilling crime stories that will surprise and shock, thrill and chill—all without a gun in sight. The writers are from both sides of the political aisle and many of the authors are gun owners themselves. But everyone felt it was time to speak out. Featuring the talents of J.L. Abramo , Patricia Abbott, Trey R. Barker, Eric Beetner, Alec Cizak, Joe Clifford, Reed Farrel Coleman, Angel Luis Colón, Hilary Davidson, Paul J. Garth, Alison Gaylin, Kent Gowran, Rob Hart, Jeffery Hess, Grant Jerkins, Joe R. Lansdale, S.W. Lauden, Tim O’Mara, Joyce Carol Oates, Tom Pitts, Thomas Pluck, Keith Rawson, Kelli Stanley, Ryan Sayles, and Holly West. Praise for UNLOADED… “The 25 short stories in this thought-provoking theme anthology prove that clever crime writers can generate just as much mayhem, weirdness, and chills without the use of firearms.” —Publishers Weekly

Crime Writers Writing Without Guns

Unloaded

Private investigator Nick Ventura knows trouble—but not how to keep his nose out of it. A pool of blood spreading across a casino poker table, a Buick plowing through a storefront with a dead detective aboard, a fatal rendezvous in the shadow of a Coney Island landmark, a childhood friend gunned down walking his dog in the wrong place at the wrong time, a film distributor who thinks he can get away with murder through intimidation and violence, a mob boss assassinated leaving a neighborhood restaurant, and the particular brand of retribution necessary to level the playing field in the fourth largest city in America—J.L. Abramo serves it all up with a vengeance.

Brooklyn Justice

J.L. Abramo

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