Pete Dexter

Deadwood, South Dakota, during the Black Hills gold rush of the 1870s, becomes the colorful backdrop for this novel populated by Wild Bill Hickok, his sidekick Charley Utter, Calamity Jane, and other famous Old West characters.

It takes audiences deep into the backwaters of steamy 1960s South Florida, as investigative reporter Ward Jansen and his partner Yardley Acheman chase a sensational, career-making story. With the help of Ward's younger brother Jack and sultry death-row groupie Charlotte Bless, the pair tries to prove violent swamp-dweller Hillary Van Wetter was framed for the murder of a corrupt local sheriff.

After Mickey Scarpato's stepson Leon, is killed in a construction "accident", Mickey quickly tries to bury the bad news along with the body. But even in the gritty, blue-collar neighborhood of God's Pocket, PA, no secret can stay hidden forever. When a local columnist comes sniffing around for the truth, Mickey quickly finds himself stuck in a life-and-death struggle compounded by a body he can't bury, a wife he can't please, and a debt he can't pay....