"Charles Salzberg's Canary in the Coal Mine is everything a reader wants in a great crime novel, and then some. The rat-a-tat cadence of the noir masters, seamlessly blended with the contemporary sensibilities of an author thoroughly in control of his craft. I liked this book so much I read it twice. No kidding. It's that good." ? Baron R. Birtcher, multi-award winning and Los Angeles Times bestselling author

Meet P.I. Pete Fortunato who spent a mysteriously short, forgettable stint as a cop in a small upstate New York town. Living paycheck to paycheck, he works out of a friend's downtown real estate office. So, when a beautiful woman wants to hire him to find her husband, he doesn't hesitate to say yes.

Within a day, Fortunato finds the husband dead in the apartment of his client's young, stud lover. Fortunato thinks the case is closed until his client's check bounces and he is kidnapped by a couple of Albanian gangsters, hoping he'll lead them to a large sum of money the dead husband stole. Fortunato soon realizes he may have been set up to take the fall for the murder and theft of money.

What to do? Fortunato embarks on a wild ride that takes him to Texas?searching for the client's lover who he suspects has the money and holds the key to solving the murder that's been blamed on him.

If you like Elmore Leonard, Michael Mann, and Phillip Marlowe, then you'll love Charles Salzberg's Canary in the Coal Mine.

"Salzberg has hit it out of the park. Love the writing style, and the story really draws you in. As with Salzberg's prior works, he has a knack for making his heroes real, which makes their jeopardy real, too. So, say hello to Pete Fortunato, a modern PI who thinks on his feet and has moves that read like the noir version of Midnight Run." ? Tom Straw, author of the Richard Castle series (from the ABC show) and Buzz Killer

When a murder and a major theft have been pinned on you, how would you get out of that jam?

Read Canary in the Coal Mine today to find out!