Book description
This suspenseful third John Deal crime thriller from Standiford finds
the Miami building contractor tangling with Chinese gangsters who are
trying to move in on a scheme hatched by two Hollywood porno magnates to
create X-rated films for the huge mainland Chinese market. Deal already
has troubles enough?his wife, Janice, has sunk into a deep depression
over the serious burns she suffered in last year's Raw Deal, and a close
friend has apparently committed suicide, shortly after she has told her
film-star sister, Paige Nobleman, that Paige was adopted. Deal and his
tenant/pal, ex-cop Vernon Driscoll, begin investigating Paige's birth
and, eventually, the friend's death, following leads that take them
directly into the porno scheme and the path of some deadly Chinese gang
members. Standiford, an unusually fine thriller writer who has won the
Frank O'Connor Award for Short Fiction and who directs the creative
writing program at Florida International University, is at the top of
his game here, displaying excellent pacing and a particular affinity for
action scenes. The ongoing saga of John Deal remains especially
intriguing above all, however, because its author drenches each volume
in the ambiguities?sometimes rewarding, sometimes nightmarish?of real
life. Les Standiford is the bestselling author of twenty books and
novels, including the John Deal mystery series, and the works of
narrative history “The Man Who Invented Christmas”, a “New York Times”
Editor's Choice, and “Last Train to Paradise”. He is the director of the
creative writing program at Florida International University in Miami,
where he lives with his wife, Kimberly, a psychotherapist and artist.
