Down & Out Books

A tragic past...

Consummate adventurer Jeremy Spade arranges 'life-changing trips' in the deserts, mountains and jungles of Asia. His firm lets the world's richest experience the world's wildest parts, all from the comfort of an air-conditioned tent with a Michelin-class chef on call. After growing up in the US foster care system, Jeremy is fascinated and repelled by the billionaires. So he never suspects his own life will be changed by one of them.

Jeremy is under no illusions that heiress Shara Herale will spare him a second look-until their helicopter is shot down, forever changing their fate. Shara was betrothed in her teens to seal the bond between two of India's most powerful clans. Despite loving Jeremy, she feels honor-bound to go through with her parent's final wish. Jeremy returns to the US with a broken heart, incredible wealth, and a dark secret that ensures he can never enjoy it.

Now, almost five years since they last spoke, Shara is married to another man. And yet, when she contacts him, Jeremy doesn't think twice about putting his life on the line.

Hides a mystery...

When disgraced hacker-turned-analyst Crystal Dumont is hired by one of India's richest men, she thinks her fortune is changing. Only her new employer's particular interest looks increasingly likely to get her killed.

The target of Crystal's research is Vihan Desai, head of another clan, one that threatens her employer's interests. Determined not to let his little brother leave the crooked family business, Vihan has followed him from Delhi to Jacksonville. When Vihan is done transforming their legitimate business into the center of a criminal empire, he intends to murder his brother, his brother's wife Shara, and their infant daughter. But is there more to this family feud than organized crime?

That threatens nations...

Why has the White House taken a personal interest in the Desai family? And can Crystal trust the shadowy young man trying to help them? If any of them are to survive, Crystal and Jeremy will have to face the dark secret he and Shara hoped to leave in the Thar desert-a mystery that has kept India's elite in power for generations.

Defying an ancient cabal might just be the shot at romance and redemption they have both been waiting for. But they soon learn that when ancient Asian secrets are involved, they are usually blood-stained.

Praise for Fortune's Favor:

"Fortune's Favor is one of those rare thrillers that slaps you upside the head with its originality and pace. It introduced me to a world of business intrigue and violence that I had no idea existed. These two authors are seasoned pros and write like confident mystery veterans. A must-read book that will take you away." -Vincent Zandri, New York Times and USA Today bestselling Thriller and Shamus Award-winning author of the Dick Moonlight PI Series and The Remains

"Thomas Locke and Jyoti Guptara's intricate, fast-paced international thriller, set in the rarified, dazzling circle of the super-rich, consistently delivers the thrills and chills inherent in the high stakes, cut-throat world of high-finance in which murder is simply another business option." -Charles Salzberg, author of the Henry Swann PI series

When Anderson West takes on the pro-bono case of Jessica Smith, a twenty-something restaurant hostess being stalked, the last thing he expects is for his investigation to spiral into breaking and entering, assault, and legal threats from the suspects and the victim. But that's what happens when you run a private investigation firm with your rule-breaking, loose-cannon sister at your side. While Anderson spends his time deducing and interviewing possible suspects, Carrie handles interrogations in her own unique-and personal-fashion. And it seems like everyone is a suspect. There are Jessica's ex-boyfriend and current boyfriend, her incredibly creepy boss and the suspicious reverend at her church who definitely seems to be hiding something. Or someone. The closer Anderson and Carrie get to an answer, the more danger Jessica finds herself in. Her stalker's notes become increasingly more threatening, trading the scary phone calls and text messages for terrifying photographs and notes at her gym, work, and home. To make things even more complicated, Jessica's backstory begins to unravel, and the secrets of her past could potentially solve everything…if only she'd let Anderson and Carrie in. With time ticking down, will the brother-sister investigative team be able to solve Jessica's case before she tries something foolhardy, like facing up to the tenacious bastard on her own, armed only with a handgun and a prayer? Praise for I KNOW WHERE YOU SLEEP: "Sleep is one thing that readers won't get much of when they pick up this stellar novel! Gripping from first page to last, Orloff's I Know Where You Sleep virtually defines the psychological thriller. And Anderson and Carrie are two of the most compelling-and appealing-heroes in crime fiction to come along in years. You'll love them just as much as you'll be swept up by Orloff's brilliant plot." -Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bone Collector and The Never Game "With clock-ticking yet compassionate prose, Alan Orloff portrays one of the horrors of all our modern lives: the stalker. I Know Where You Sleep is a private eye novel for these all-too-real modern days. Orloff's P.I. protagonist Anderson West is a man of modern personal complications and classic professional simplicity: he wants to stop evil and crime where he can-and takes readers along for the entertaining, revealing ride." -James Grady, New York Times bestselling author of Six Days of the Condor "A winner! A twisty page-turning cat and mouse pursuit with a surprise around every corner. If you're looking for a truly good guy-Anderson West is the perfect choice. This charming protagonist-a PI with heart and determination and a pure sense of justice-will captivate you. The talented Alan Orloff has created a unique and memorable character, and a terrific book." -Hank Phillippi Ryan, bestselling and award-winning author of The Murder List

Gary Chance is an ex-Australian army driver and nightclub bouncer turned professional thief and in need of a job. An offer comes from a former employer, once notorious Melbourne social identity, now aging owner of a failing S&M club, Vera Leigh.

A shadowy real estate developer is trying to squeeze Leigh out of a rapidly gentrifying city. But she has a rescue plan that involves one of Australia's biggest heists, Melbourne's Great Bookie Robbery. On April 21, 1976, a well organised gang stole as much as three million dollars, a fortune at the time, from a Melbourne bookmakers club. The money was never recovered. No one was ever charged. And everyone associated with the crime has since died, either by natural causes or violently.

Leigh maintains that money was not the only thing stolen that day. So was a stash of uncut South African diamonds. And she wants Chance's help to retrieve them. Problem is, they are not the only ones looking.

The heist always goes wrong and the consequences, even half a century later, can be deadly.

Critical Acclaim for Orphan Road:

"Orphan Road is a breakneck tale of robbery and vengeance, as lyrical and gritty as a Bad Seeds tune. Superb." -Sam Wiebe, award-winning author of Sunset and Jericho and Invisible Dead

"Orphan Road hits Mr Inbetween levels of brilliance. Stylish writing and whip-smart dialogue, this is noir done right." -David Whish-Wilson, author of Line of Sight and The Sawdust House

"I have been waiting for another Gary Chance book. Orphan Road is grimy, twisty and fast. Absolutely worth the wait." -Iain Ryan, author of Four Days and The Student

"A multi-continental heist romp, Nette's Orphan Road is in direct lineage with Westlake/Stark's Parker series and Thompson's The Getaway. Filled with pulpy goodness, this crime caper scratches your thieving itch. For fans of Barry Gifford's Black Lizard catalog, this one's a guaranteed delight." -Nolan Knight, author of The Neon Lights Are Veins and Gallows Dome

"Some people will do anything for money...or in this case diamonds. Gary Chance is one of those people and in Orphan Road, Andrew Nette gifts us with a good, old-fashioned hard-boiled thriller that moves at a machine-gun-like pace leaving the reader gasping for air." -Charles Salzberg, multiple Shamus Award-nominated author

Dirty ex-cops Robert "Diggy" Diggs and Dwayne "Stick" Figgers have found themselves in hot water. After Kansas city drug lord Benny Cordella discovers that they have wronged him, he devises an insane plan: he will force them to commit suicide. This, he believes, will send them to hell, where they will track down Dread Corbin, the man who killed his daughter. Of course, Diggy and Stick don't believe this is possible, but they will soon discover that hell is real.

Diggy and Stick quickly find that hell is quite different from the world they're used to. It's one giant, endless urban landscape populated by liars, cheats, and murderers-and those are the good ones. But hell isn't the pit of fire they expected. It's dark and rainy around the clock, and almost everyone there is a member of one of the many criminal organizations. Worst of all, there are no women. With the help of infamous Deadwood pimp and killer Al Swearengen, Diggy and Stick will hunt for sadistic, disfigured killer Corbin.

Hell to Pay: Diggy and Stick Book One is unlike any crime novel you've ever read before. It's dark, dangerous, edgy, and laugh-out-loud hilarious. Buckle up for one hell of a ride!

Praise for Hell to Pay

"I haven't read all of Andy's books, but I've read several, and I like that he writes whatever he likes. He's got some damn good stuff." -Joe R. Lansdale, author of Cold in July

"Rausch's writing is like a serpent. It's lean. It's clever. It coils around you...and then it strikes. It's glorious, but be warned-there is no anti-venom." -Chris Miller, author of Dust