Fifty-to-One

Raves For the Work of CHARLES ARDAI!

“Deliciously entertainin...[one of those] crime tales so sharp they’ll slice your fingers as you flip the pages.”

—Playboy

“Excellen...[Ardai] has done a fine job of capturing both the style and the spirit of the classic detective novel.”

—Chicago Sun-Times

“An instant classic. The...climax of this novel, as unexpected as it is powerful, will move you in ways that crime fiction rarely can.”

—The Washington Post

“Barrels forth at the speed of [a] Manhattan taxi...and contains some whiplash-inducing plot twists...Tightly written from start to finish, this crime novel is as satisfyingly edgy as the pulp classics that inspired it.”

—Publishers Weekly

“A wonderful novel, brilliantly plotted, beautifully written, and completely satisfying. I loved the book.”

—Richard S. Prather

“Dark energy and period perfection.”

—Chicago Tribune

“It isn’t just great—it’s phenomenal. Easily, this is the best crime novel [of the year] thus far.”

—Bookgasm

“Hands down, the best mystery novel of the year. It might be the best mystery written in America in years. [This] book...packs a punch that left me breathlessly turning the pages.”

—Book Reporter

“Another sure-fire winner...Reads like a collaboration between Henry Miller and Mickey Spillane.”

—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Expertly crafted in every way and ending with one of the most shocking...conclusions in recent memory.”

—Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

“Reads like O. Henry run amok in McBain’s 87th Precinct.”

—Ink19

“Classic pulp.”

—Kevin Burton Smith, January Magazine

“A wonderful chase from start to finish.”

—Charlie Stella

“Excellent...terrific.”

—The Globe and Mail

“Able to cut to the heart of a character or a situation with equal ease, he has a voice as unforgettable as his stories.”

—Billie Sue Mosiman

“[Ardai] builds his tale slowly and really throws it into high gear in the emotional final chapters.”

—George Pelecanos

“A pleasant visit to an unpleasant society where honor and loyalty count for more than life.”

—James Crumley

“Another standout [about a] man on a memorable downward spiral.”

—The Boston Globe

“[A] layered hard boiled work [with] an ending that leaves readers mouthing ‘wow!’...Essential reading.”

—Library Journal

“Gives Chandler a run for his money.”

—Paramour

“The best thing since bread sliced with a bloody knife...[Ardai] writes with genius.”

—Dick Adler

“It knocked my socks off. The last 30 pages, I don’t think I took a breath.”

—Megan Abbott

“The best Hard Case Crime offering I’ve read in a very long time. It’s fast, suspenseful, profound, violent, witty, disturbing, and heartrending.”

—About to Charge

“A crime novel with an end that you won’t soon forget...there’s something so classic about it that, when you read it, you can’t help but picture the story unfolding in crisp black-and-white.”

—Nights and Weekends

“This guy’s a gold mine,” Borden said, jabbing with the back of his pen at the newest book to grace his desk. “He’s the genuine article. Gold Medal wishes they could find a guy like this.”

The book was titled I Robbed the Mob! and was credited to that most prolific of authors, Anonymous, but Tricia was as proud of it as if her name had been plastered all over the cover. The illustration showed a man in a heavy overcoat, his face hidden in shadows, advancing on a buxom woman in a torn blouse. What that had to do with robbing the Mob, Tricia had no idea. But Borden said it would sell books.

Beneath the title it said

Torn From the Headlines!

The Scandalous True Story of One Man’s

LIFE in the UNDERWORLD!

“You know what Casper Citron said about us on his program yesterday?” Borden said. “He called the book reprehensible. Said we glorified crime. That’s good for a thousand copies, easy. The thing’s selling, Trixie. You did good—you and this guy you found.” Borden grabbed his jacket from a hook on the back of the door, shrugged it on. “You think he really ripped off his boss?”

“Oh, I’m sure he wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true,” Tricia said.

“Man,” Borden said. “The guy has guts. I tell you, I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes the day someone hands Nicolazzo a copy of the book.”

It was at that moment that the frosted glass pane in Borden’s door shattered...

SOME OTHER HARD CASE CRIME BOOKS YOU WILL ENJOY:

SONGS OF INNOCENCE by Richard Aleas

FRIGHT by Cornell Woolrich

KILL NOW, PAY LATER by Robert Terrall

SLIDE by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr

DEAD STREET by Mickey Spillane

DEADLY BELOVED by Max Allan Collins

A DIET OF TREACLE by Lawrence Block

MONEY SHOT by Christa Faust

ZERO COOL by John Lange

SHOOTING STAR/SPIDERWEB by Robert Bloch

THE MURDERER VINE by Shepard Rifkin

SOMEBODY OWES ME MONEY by Donald E. Westlake

NO HOUSE LIMIT by Steve Fisher

BABY MOLL by John Farris

THE MAX by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr

GUN WORK by David J. Schow