Crimespree Magazine #51 is shipping and now available for purchase on your ebook reader.

William Kent Krueger is featured on the cover and interviewed by Jeremy Lynch. Duane Swiecrzynski talks to Dan Malmon about his latest book while Dana Cameron talks with Kate Malmon. Steven Torres interviews Manuel Ramos and M.J. Rose chats with David J. Montgomery. Short fiction is supplied by G. Miki Hayden and Manuel Ramos.

There are three “Behind the Book” pieces in this issue: Dana Cameron, Bill Loehfelm and J.L. Abramo. Kent Harrington offers up “A Rendezvous with Evil.”

Oops, almost forgot the usual suspects are included for your enjoyment: Reed Farrel Coleman, Linda Brown, Craig McDonald, Jeremy Lynch, Ayo Onatade and Amy Alessio. You get Buzzbin, Book Reviews, Crimespree on Comics and Cooking with Crimespree appear as well.

Available for: KINDLE | NOOK

In the grand tradition of the great pulps of the ‘50s comes PINE BOX FOR A PIN-UP.

Frankie Valentine just wanted to take girlie pictures. But a jealous woman, a call girl on the make, a dirty cop, and a cross-dressing judge bent on keeping his secret, plunge Valentine into a world of murder, badger games gone wrong, blackmail, burlesque, and violence…

Also includes GRIFT’N’GRIND a Frankie Valentine short story.

Find out more about Frank here.

The cover was painted by Jason Smith.

The following is a sample:

Prelude

 The buxom brunette shed her top and flung it at me playfully. It didn’t stop there.

“Let me get more comfortable,” she said, wriggling out of the bottom half of her little leopard-print number. It was just as well; trying to contain her ample pulchritude was a losing battle. So was trying to keep my cool. She busted me mid-stare and winked. I fumbled with my camera and almost dropped it. She let out a little laugh. She’d no doubt seen men come unglued before. I was no different despite my name; it’s Valentine, Frankie Valentine. I take pictures of beautiful girls.

You’d think after all the undressed pretty things I’d photographed over the years I’d be able to keep a cool head. But Vickie Hayes was something else and a half, a solid sender, a primo bombshell with a body that defied gravity. Her hair was shiny and jet black; her smile shone pearly white as it competed for attention with her dimples. At barely five feet tall, she was an abbreviated little firecracker, firmly packed and stacked into a 36-24-36 package.

I tried my best to un-blush and collect myself. I popped in a fresh roll of film and got back to it. Vickie vamped, posed and flirted with the camera as I fired away. I bounced one hot light off an umbrella to counter the mysterious shadows of the diffused key light positioned directly at her side. It gave her an eerie luster and seductive appeal. With every click of the shutter she effortlessly assumed a new pose. She needed no direction. I didn’t have to say a thing, she read my mind. If I could just manage to keep it together and hold down the technical end, these were going to be some amazing photographs; hell, they were practically taking themselves. You just couldn’t go wrong with a model like this. I was already planning our next session—and perhaps my next move. It was worth a shot; she seemed to like me. I couldn’t wait to see her again.

But this was the last time I’d ever see Vickie Hayes…alive.

Available as a Trade Paperback and eBook.

Kindle | Amazon TP | Nook | BN TP

Down & Out Books proudly releases two brand new books and two TP reissues.

First up is Trey R. Barker’s EXIT BLOOD which is the second book in his Barefield series. Craig Johnson (yep, the author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries, the basis for A&E’s hit series Longmire) raves, “There’s enough guns, gore, and grit to make you hang on for the whole ride, just make sure you keep your arms and legs inside the novel at all times.”

He has a bloody, dismembered foot in a cooler, along with a pile of cucumbers, but that might not even be Darcy’s biggest problem.

Darcy’s biggest problem may well be the trail of bodies behind him.
Or the lady hit man in front of him.
Or the old man, on the run from a murder he committed 50 years ago, at his side.

Or it could well be what it’s been Darcy’s entire life…his father, and the man who took his father’s place.

After fleeing the blood-bath at a church for the self-penitent, Darcy heads deep into his past to discover what his father was searching for just before Darcy killed him. The journey takes him to banks all over West Texas, looking for a safety deposit box which may hold the secrets.

But regardless of what those secrets might be and how they may soothe his soul, Darcy is still being hunted. By who? The hit man, the cops, the Feds, his step-father…

It doesn’t matter where he runs, the bodies pile up, the cash is missing, and he can’t remember what the hell happened that bloody night at the tattoo parlor.

Book Trailer

Available: Kindle | Nook | Amazon TP | BN TP

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Next up is the trade paperback edition of the first Barefiled book, 2000 MILES TO OPEN ROAD.

With a murder indictment hanging over his head, an angry cop on his tail, and an unknown woman who just dove through his car window during a shootout at the Carson City sewage plant, Halford Turnbull has just one goal:

To prove his innocence. Not to the prosecutors, not to the cops. To his brother. But brother Hanford is halfway across the country and between Carson City, Nevada and Huntsville, Texas is a pile of trouble that Hal simply can’t seem to avoid.

From stealing $20,000 to buy a DVD of a murder, to a low-rent casino in Vegas where a sadistic security guard is killed and a church filled with self-flagellant priests in Valentine, Texas, where a second shoot-out leaves a riot of bodies, Hal simply can’t catch a break.

And during it all, Hal wavers. He wants to prove to his brother-the good brother-that he isn’t a killer. But as situations begin to pile up, Hal thinks less of his brother than his girlfriend and a safe, new life in Mexico.
In a drive-in movie parking lot, he and his girlfriend and brother finally are forced to face both Hal’s haunting demons and the man who created the DVD of murder, and who wants his property back.

It is a 2,000 mile journey that could lead to redemption and could just get him killed, and yet there is no way Hal Turnbull can avoid driving those miles.

Available: Amazon TP | BN TP

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We’re not done yet!

For all you fans of FX’s hit The Americans, comes the latest from Bill Moody called THE MAN IN RED SQUARE.

When America defector Robert Owens passes a note to his former colleague in Moscow’s Red Square saying he wants to come home, American intelligence is faced with a major dilemma.

To ensure they are getting the genuine article and not an impostor, they must find someone who can ask questions only the real Owens can answer.

CIA veteran Charles Fox’s search turns up Christopher Storm, a teacher who served with Owens in Vietnam. Storm accepts the assignment as plans are made to exchange Owens for a Soviet trade official.

But Storm isn’t told the whole story.

When he meets with Owens, he discovers even more deception and the KGB’s complicated compartmentalization threatens to unravel the entire affair. Storm is forced into a desperate escape plan which may be the only way out.

New York Times bestselling author of THE BOOK OF SPIES, Gayle Lynds says, “In the grand tradition of unforgettable Cold War spy thrillers, Bill Moody’s The Man in Red Square sends you on an exciting journey into history, politics, and deception as Washington and Moscow jockey to pull off a critical spy exchange in 1980. With fascinating characters like Charles Fox, Christopher Storm, and Mikhail Sokolov, you’re in for a suspenseful read that will rivet you to your seat.”

Book Trailer

Available: Kindle | Nook | Amazon TP | BN TP

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Last, but not least, the first Jake Diamond Mystery, CATCHING WATER IN A NET by J.L. Abramo is available for the first time as a trade paperback.

In this award-winning debut, San Francisco PI Jake Diamond is a hero who plays both sides of the Private Eye street. He is a careless dresser with a sloppy lifestyle and he couldn’t keep his marriage from falling apart. But he also epitomizes the best of the modern shamus. He has the kinds of friends a man in his profession needs-jailbirds, mob bosses, and a cop who can surreptitiously run license plate numbers for him.

Jake has been down on his luck lately, barely making enough money to pay the bills and it looks like business might finally be picking up. A woman comes to his office begging him to find her missing husband who has been accused of murder. Jake remembers that his mentor Jimmy Pigeon always says “Whenever I’m asked to locate a missing spouse, the words ‘no, but thanks for asking’ always come to mind” and almost turns the case down, but then he learns that the murder victim was Jimmy Pigeon.

Determined to discover the identity of Pigeon’s killer, Diamond scrambles between Los Angeles and San Francisco following leads that range from weak to delusional. With the help of his trusty and sarcastic assistant, Darlene Roman, compulsive gambler Vinnie “String” Stradivarius, and Italian-American “businessman” Joey Russo, Jake slowly uncovers the motives behind Pigeon’s murder.

Jake’s adventure has all the components of a great new private eye series-scares, suspense, lots of laughs, a few tears and a big surprise at the end.

Available: Amazon TP | BN TP

Okay, kiddos, spoke with Jon and he agreed to offer Crimespree Magazine at a special price of $0.99 for all eBook issues, including issue #50!! The catch? One week only; the offer ends Monday, March 11. So act fast!

Here’s the links:

Crimespree Magazine #1 and 2
Crimespree Magazine #3 and 4
Crimespree Magazine #5 and 6
Crimespree Magazine #7 and 8
Crimespree Magazine #9 and 10
Crimespree Magazine #11 and 12
Crimespree Magazine #13 and 14
Crimespree Magazine #40
Crimespree Magazine #41
Crimespree Magazine #42
Crimespree Magazine #43
Crimespree Magazine #44
Crimespree Magazine #45
Crimespree Magazine #46
Crimespree Magazine #47
Crimespree Magazine #48
Crimespree Magazine #49
Crimespree Magazine #50

Yep, issues 15 through 39 are not currently available but will be during 2013.

Jon’s collection of interviews from a couple of years ago is also priced at $0.99. You can find it here: Interrogations.

Don’t forget about the incredible Murder and Mayhem in Muskego anthology edited by Jon and Ruth Jordan. While the book is not on sale, 100% of the proceeds go the Muskego Library to help pay for the annual event. It is available as a Trade Paperback and eBook.

Spread the word. But remember, the offer ends on Monday, March 11.

We have reach an important milestone in history: The 50th issue of Crimespree Magazine.

This is a special anniversary issue, indeed. Not only is Robert Crais on the cover, but he is also this issues featured interview. Additionally, Mark Billingham turns the tables and interviews none other than Crimespree Magazine editors, Jon and Ruth Jordan. That’s not all; there are six additional interviews crammed into the issue.

Steve Newman supplies the short story this time around. There’s a great Footprints piece on Lawrence Block while Rhys Bowen delivers Behind the Book.

Yep, the usual suspects join the celebration as well: Reed Farrel Coleman, Linda Brown, Craig McDonald, Jeremy Lynch, Ayo Onatade, Jen Forbus, Bryan VanMeter, Amy Alessio and Kate & Dan Malmon. Naturally, Buzzbin, Book Reviews, Crimespree On Comics and Cooking with Crimespree are sprinkled throughout.

Available for: KINDLE | NOOK

Just in time for your new Kindle or Nook: Crimespree Magazine #49.

Issue 49 of Crimespree Magazine features a Stuart Neville interview by John Connolly. There are six additional interview crammed into the issue as well. There’s Stephen Blackmore, F. Paul Wilson, Matthew MacBride, Jess Lourey, Eric Beetner and Richard Kadrey.

There’s three pieces of fiction for your enjoyment—Jim Bartlett, Taylor Brown and Paul M. Mann.

Three “Behind the Books” are supplied by Jenny Milchman, Peter Blauner and Julie Hyzy.

And then there’s the usual suspects as well. Mystery Town with Linda Brown, columns by Reed Farrel Coleman and Craig McDonald, One Question, Eye on Hollywood, Teen Beat, Buzzbin, Book Reviews, Crimespree On Comics and Cooking With Crimespree.

KINDLE | NOOK

So you’ve read Richard Barre’s three original Christmas themed short stories (The Star, Bethany and Wind on the River) which were released back in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Well, Richard enjoyed the process so much, he was inspired to write four additional stories back then that have never been released before.

Instead of releasing one each year for the next four, I thought wouldn’t be cool to release all seven together in one collection and issue it as both a TP and an ebook?

Additionally, a foreword kicked off each of the original stories. Well, why not continue that tradition as well was my next thought.

So you get not only seven absolutely incredible short stories, but you also get seven wonderful forewords by a few of today’s best writers.

Table of contents:

• The Bargain w/ foreword by Michael Koryta
• The Star w/ foreword by Michael Connelly
• The Gift w/ foreword by Gary Phillips
• Bethany w/ foreword by Robert Crais
• The Seam w/ foreword by J.L. Abramo
• Wind on the River w/ foreword by Harlan Coben
• The Shepherd w/ foreword by Brad Parks

You can find the trade paperback at AMAZON or BARNES & NOBLE. Or you can ask your favorite indie book store to order it for you.

If you would prefer the ebook, you can find it for KINDLE or NOOK.

Yep, you heard it right! Buy one, get one…FREE

Here’s the dealio:
1. Buy any book published by Down & Out Books during November and December
2. Read and enjoy it
3. Post a review
4. Send an email with your posted review, the name you posted the review as, which Down and Out title of equal or lesser value you would like to receive free and the format you prefer (mobi/epub/PDF) to: eric@downandoutbooks.com
5. Eric will send you your fix

Issue #48 can be purchased before it shows up in your mailbox! What’s in it you may ask? Great question.

A Guest Editorial by Reed Coleman, Hanging With Ayo, Chris Holm interview by Dan and Kate Malmon, Changing the World One Child and One Book at a Time by A.G.S. Johnson, Sean Chercover Interview by Kate and Dan, Pet Spotlight by Lou Berney and Jessie Chamdler, 5 Albums that Changed My Life by Chris Holm, a Dan Krokos Sampler.

Issue 48 Cover Story featuring Tasha Alexander and Andrew Grant, Peter Farris Interviewed by Tim Hennessey, Derek Raymond Back in Print by Bryan Van Meter, FICTION: Notes Found Inside The Body by James Comins, Lyndsay Faye, author of Gods Of Gotham, interview by Lisa Cotoggio, Two Worlds, One Writer by Kathryn Casey, Joust Another Bout of Research by Jeri Westerson.

Mystery Town with Linda Brown, columns by Reed Farrel Coleman and Craig McDonald, One Question: What was your favorite Halloween Costume?, FICTION: The Accidental Sleuth by PW Keilty, DVD Reviews, Book Reviews, Crimespree On Comics and as always, Cooking With Crimespree in which Kate explores tater tots.

Enjoy!

KINDLE | NOOK

GRAVESEND is the new crime novel from J.L. Abramo, the 2000 winner of the St. Martin’s Press/PWA Award for Best Private Eye Novel.

On an afternoon in early February, the neighborhood is stunned and horrified when the lifeless body of an eight-year-old boy is discovered abandoned on the roof of an apartment building.

The body has been mysteriously mutilated.

No clues, no witnesses, no apparent reason.

When a second boy is found two days later in the same condition, Homicide Detectives Samson, Vota and Murphy of Brooklyn’s 61st Precinct quickly deduce that the two boys were victims of the same killer.

The brutal murders of the two young boys have Samson questioning his strength as a protector of his children and his continued commitment to law enforcement.

Vota searches for a homeless man who may be witness to a fatal street shooting.

Murphy is trying to locate his brother, a suspect in a robbery homicide, before the situation turns much worse.

Attorney Lorraine DiMarco desperately attempts to win the release of an innocent client who sits terrified in a jail cell with a price on his head.

Serena Huang, an overambitious newspaper reporter, learns enough about the nature of the killings to create a media frenzy.

Tony Territo, a dealer in high-priced stolen vehicles, is being squeezed by the head of a powerful crime family.

Andre Harris, a small-time drug dealer, has marked Vota and Samson for assassination to avenge the death of his brother.

A killer who believes he is following a mandate from God is handing out Old Testament retribution to those he identifies as responsible for his torment.

Slowly, the insanity and tragedy behind the killer’s motives are revealed through cryptic messages left at the scenes of the crimes and delivered in anonymous notes.

All of these lives intersect and collide leading to a furious and dramatic conclusion on the turbulent streets of Gravesend.

Bill Moody, author of the Evan Horne series and Czechmate: The Spy Who Played Jazz, says “J.L. Abramo’s Gravesend raises the bar for gritty police procedurals in this fast paced thriller. The action never stops as Brooklyn Detective Lieutenant Samson juggles mob wars, murders and mayhem during a search for a biblically obsessed killer.”

Available for: Kindle | NOOK

Trade Paperback: Amazon TP | B&N TP

Will be available soon for other ebook platforms. Ask for it from your favorite indie bookstore.