The undisputed master of the tough thriller, New York Times
bestselling author Stephen Hunter delivers an "exciting and intelligent"
(The Wall Street Journal) masterpiece set in 1940s Arkansas, where law
and corruption ricochet like slugs from a .45 automatic.
Earl Swagger is tough as hell. But even tough guys have their secrets.
Plagued by the memory of his abusive father, apprehensive about his own
impending parenthood, Earl is a decorated ex-Marine of absolute
integrity--and overwhelming melancholy. Now he's about to face his
biggest, bloodiest challenge yet.
It is the summer of 1946, organized crime's garish golden age, when
American justice seems to have gone to seed for good. Nowhere is this
truer than in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the reigning capital of corruption.
When the district attorney vows to bring down the mob, Earl is recruited
to run the show. As casino raids erupt into nerve-shattering combat amid
screaming prostitutes and fleeing johns, the body count mounts--along
with the suspense in this "riveting" (Los Angeles Times), "richly told
tale" (The San Francisco Examiner).