About the Book
Hit the jackpot with stories from Michael Connelly, Laura Lippman, Walter Mosley, Alexander McCall Smith, and more superstars of mystery. In "One Dollar Jackpot," Michael Connelly's curmudgeonly Harry Bosch finds himself going toe-to-toe with a professional poker player. Jeffery Deaver offers up "Bump," a tale of a has-been actor trying to make it big by hustling cards. "Hardly Knew Her" by Laura Lippmann showcases a young woman learning about bluffing the hard way, while "In the Eyes of Children" by Alexander McCall Smith features a scam at a poker table on the high seas. With these, and more offerings from mystery greats such as Joyce Carol Oates, John Lescroart, Walter Mosley, Peter Robinson, and Eric Van Lustbader, Dead Man's Hand is a suspenseful anthology that's a big winner for any fan of crime fiction.
About the Author :
Michael Connelly is the author of thirty-three previous novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers, The Night Fire and Dark Sacred Night. His books, which include the Harry Bosch series, the Lincoln Lawyer series, and the Renée Ballard series, have sold more than seventy-four million copies worldwide. Connelly is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels. He is the executive producer of Bosch, starring Titus Welliver, and the creator and host of the podcast Murder Book. He spends his time in California and Florida. Laura Lippman is a New York Times bestselling novelist who has won more than twenty awards for her fiction, including the Edgar Award--and been nominated for thirty more. Since her debut in 1997, she has published almost two dozen novels, a novella, a children's book, and a collection of short stories. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages. Laura lives in Baltimore with her husband, David Simon, and their daughter.
Walter Mosley is one of America's most celebrated and beloved writers. A Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America, he has won numerous awards, including an Edgar Award for best novel, the Anisfield-Wolf Award, a Grammy, a PEN USA's Lifetime Achievement Award, and several NAACP Image awards. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. His short fiction has appeared in a wide array of publications, including the New Yorker, GQ, Esquire, Los Angeles Times Magazine, and Playboy, and his nonfiction has been published in the New York Times Book Review, the New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, and the Nation. He is the author of the acclaimed Easy Rawlins series, including most recently Charcoal Joe. He lives in New York City. Otto Penzler, the creator of American Mystery Classics, is also the founder of The Mysterious Press; mysteriouspress.com; and New York City's Mysterious Bookshop. He has won a Raven, the Ellery Queen Award, two Edgars, and lifetime achievement awards from NoirCon and the Strand Magazine. Leon Nixon is a professional actor, playwright, and filmmaker. A Los Angeles native, he has performed in short films, web series, and on stage in dramatic and comedic roles. He is an improvisor, trained in Los Angeles and Chicago, and is part of the group that appears in the Guinness Book of World Records for Longest Continuous Improv Show at 150 hours. Keith Sellon-Wright is a seasoned professional with a career in Hollywood spanning over thirty years. He has had the good fortune to work with some of Hollywood's seminal directors, including Christopher Guest and Spike Lee. His TV career includes some of the most important shows in TV history, going back to shows such as Wings, Frasier, Seinfeld, and The West Wing. More recently he's appeared on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, NCIS, Mad Men, and Parks and Recreation. The majority of Keith's audiobook work so far is nonfiction, ("I love what I get to learn!") but as a lifelong storyteller, he of course loves fiction too. Keith also serves as a "voice of the New York Times," narrating selected articles for the daily audio edition on Audible. He records from a "killer" booth he built at his residence in Southern California. The quickest way to Keith's heart-introduce him to a great new wine! Gail Shalan is a storyteller based in New York City. She has narrated books for Tantor, HighBridge, Blackstone, Chatterbox Audio with Audible UK, Spoken Realms, and more. She is also a narrator and producer on The StoryLight Podcast (available wherever you listen to podcasts). She holds an MFA in acting from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and has worked in both the US and UK in theater, film, and voice-over. Gail is also a puppeteer and one half of the International folk duo The Strange Bedfellows.
Review :
"This trio of narrators hits the mark. Poker and crime play a role in these short stories, which come to life with their deft narrations...For the characters at a party in "Pitch Black," narrator Keith Sellon-Wright creates an exceptional range of voices, alternating mostly between an unlikable, gruff-voiced guitar player and a teen coming of age. Gail Shalan puts appropriate emotion into the frantic girl and teen boys in "Strip Poker." And Leon Nixon's deep, serious voice perfectly fits the main character in "Mr. In-Between." Thankfully, this collection doesn't get into the weeds of poker, so even listeners who don't play will enjoy it."
-- "AudioFile"