Publisher's WeeklyIn this latest Fred Carver mystery, Lutz ( Kiss ; Tropical Heat ) sets his aging knight errant from Orlando, Fla., against younger villains on the nowhere fringes of the Florida Keys. Crusty old Henry Tiller--an ex-cop from Milwaukee living on tiny Key Montaigne--suspects that his wealthy retired neighbor, Walter Rainer, is a drug dealer responsible for the death of a 13-year-old runaway. Brushed off by local cops, Tiller hires Carver to investigate. Carver knows more is involved than just an old man's active imagination when Tiller is hit by a car; later, his own car is followed to Key Montaigne and he receives a death threat. After Tiller dies from his injuries, Carver brings in his live-in lover Beth, ex-wife of a drug kingpin and a martial arts expert. Obsessed with nailing Rainer, Carver and Beth ignore warnings to keep constant watch on the Rainer household. While Lutz creates terrific characters in this concise, crisply told escapade, the surveillance of the bad guys drones on, and when the true nature of Rainer's criminal activity is unmasked, the payoff doesn't seem to warrant the buildup. Despite these lapses, Carver remains one of the genre's most credible protagonists. Library JournalThe award-winning author of Kiss ( LJ 9/1/88) and Flame (Holt, 1989) returns with detective Fred Carver, investigating in the Florida Keys.

When a nervous husband asks him to track down his heroin addict wife, Fred Carver learns that not every client can be trustedWhen he meets Bob Ghostly, it's hardly the first time that Fred Carver has been asked to find a missing spouse. But Ghostly's tale about a beautiful woman who fled for no apparent reason doesn't quite convince Carver, who presses for more detail. Finally Ghostly admits it. His wife was beautiful, intelligent, and kind, but she was also a heroin addict. She fled their Florida home with half their savings—nearly $10,000—and he's afraid she's going to put it straight into her veins.Carver goes looking for the troubled young bride, but when she shows up on her own—terrified and looking for protection—a routine case becomes one that could prove lethal for the well-meaning PI. This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Lutz including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's personal collection.

Twelve tales of mystery from the pen of bestelling author John Lutz, Shadows everywhere collects much of the author's early work. You'll meet everyone from a "hardscrabble farm woman" to a volatile trucker with an explosive cargo, a cliff driver with dreams of gold, and women who are digging for it. Not every PI is a good guy, and not every villain gets his due.

eBook, 147 pages

SUMMARY: When a maniacal killer terrorizes the city, dismembering his victims with careful precision, homicide detective Frank Quinn, facing his toughest case yet, is drawn into this psychopath's deadly game when the last names of the victims spell out "Q-u-i-n-n." Original.

When a client dies in a car explosion, Orlando detective Fred Carver learns the man may not have been who he said he wasFor Bert Renway, it starts out as a simple proposition: a fat bundle of money to spend a few weeks impersonating Frank Wesley, a local tycoon. But after a while Bert grows suspicious of the easy money, and seeks help in the shape of Fred Carver, an ex–Orlando policeman turned private investigator. Like Bert, Carver smells trouble, and agrees to help him find out who his employers are and why they want him to play Wesley. Neither of them is suspicious enough. A few minutes after Bert leaves, an explosion sounds in the parking lot—the new client’s car gone up in a burst of flame. When they pull his body from the wreckage, dental records identify him not as Bert Renway, but as Frank Wesley. Carver doesn’t care. He’s on the case no matter who the man was. This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Lutz including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.