Fun & Games

(Mulholland Books, 2011)

Winner, 2012 Shamus Awards (Best Paperback Original)!

Accidental shootings per year: 1,500
Accidental suffocations per year: 3,300
Accidental poisonings per year: 8,600
Accidental falls per year: 14,900

“Accidental” deaths staged by professionals per year: You have no idea.

Charlie Hardie is an ex-police consultant from Philly still reeling from the revenge killings that took the life of his partner (and his partner’s family). Knowing that his very presence puts his own family’s life at risk, Hardie has spent the last three years in exile, making ends meet as a house sitter. His latest gig: watching an isolated pad in the Hollywood Hills. He’s just given the place a once-over when a coked-up actress jumps out of nowhere, ranting about “killers” coming for her.

The actress is telling the truth. Soon Hardie finds himself squared off against a secret army of the most lethal people in the world:

Killers who specialize in making deaths look like accidents.

Now they’ve laid siege to the house, forcing Hardie into a twisted cat-and-mouse game where there’s no margin for error, no one to call for help.

It’s nothing personal, mind you—just a multi-billion dollar deal that could change the face of the industry. For Hardie, though, it’s intensely personal. He’s not about to let more innocent people die. Not on his watch.