The second novel in the unforgettable, long lost series by Ralph
Dennis is finally back in print... after being coveted for years by
collectors of the very best in hardboiled fiction.
Jim Hardman was a mediocre Atlanta cop until he was wrongly accused of
corruption and thrown off the force. Now he works as an unlicensed PI,
trouble-shooter and bodyguard...often partnered with his drinking buddy
Hump Evans, a black, ex-NFL player who supports his playboy lifestyle by
working as hired muscle.
Five kids rip off a gambling party attended by Hump Evans and some of
Atlanta's criminal and political elite. Hardman is hired to recover the
loot and find the kids before they are caught and butchered by a hitman
from Charleston with a very sharp knife.
This new edition includes an introduction by Joe R. Lansdale, the New
York Times bestselling author of the Hap & Leonard crime novels.
Praise for the HARDMAN novels
"His prose was muscular, swift and highly readable. Like Chandler and
Hammett before him, Dennis was trying to do something different with
what was thought of as throwaway literature." Joe R. Lansdale, from his
introduction
"Expert writing, plus good plotting and an unusual degree of
sensitivity. Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top
entertainment. " The New York Times
"The Hardman books are by far the best of the men's action-adventure
series." Mother Jones Magazine
"Ralph Dennis is an underappreciated master. His Hardman series is one
of the finest in the P.I. genre." Robert Randisi, founder of the
Private Eye Writers of America
"Among the best series books around. The dialogue is marvelously
realistic." Philadelphia Daily News
