The gritty, hard-edged novel of sex, crime, and corruption in 1970s Atlanta...and the man who is paid to hide it all... by Ralph Dennis, author of the legendary Hardman series of detective novels.Vince Gorman is a ruthless lawyer with flexible morality who makes problems go away for David Wardlaw, an Atlanta real estate developer and the owner of the city's pro basketball team. Wardlaw doesn't care how Vince fixes things...as long as it gets done. But now Vince is in over his head... covering up a possibly fatal hit-and-run by the team's hard-partying star shooter... and competing with Wardlaw's rivals to bribe, blackmail and intimidate the corrupt politicians who award the city's rich construction contracts...all while desperately scrambling to keep his own life of dark secrets, relentless womanizing, and soul-rotting compromises from crashing down around him. This is an edited and revised version of a book previously published in 1975 under the title Atlanta. Praise for Ralph Dennis: "Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." New York Times"His prose is muscular, swift and highly readable. " Joe R. Lansdale, author of the Hap & Leonard novels, the basis for the hit TV series."Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared." Mystery Scene Magazine"An underappreciated master." Robert J. Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America."Straight-up, hardboiled crime fiction, written in a tight, evocative voice with a wicked, dark sense of humor." Lee Goldberg, #1 New York Times bestselling author of True Fiction and Lost Hills.

The 11th adventure in the ground-breaking Hardman seriesThe Man, the "Black Godfather" of Atlanta, controls most of the crime in the city... but now someone wants to take it all away from him...by putting a bullet in his head and killing his crew. The Man wants Hardman to find out who it is. So do two Atlanta cops who want to stop a bloodbath on the streets. But Hardman wants nothing to with it. Taking sides in a war he doesn't want to fight could get him killed. The problem is, The Man isn't taking no for answer. Hardman will be dead man either way... so he decides he might as well earn a buck on his way to the grave. "Dennis may not have made literature of Hardman, but he damn sure touched on it more than a time or two." Joe R. Lansdale, New York Times bestselling author of the Hap & Leonard novels. "Everything one expects from a private eye novel: exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared." Mystery Scene Magazine"One of the best crime novel series ever written. This is straight-up, hardboiled crime fiction, written in a tight, evocative voice with a wicked, dark sense of humor. It's wonderful!" Lee Goldberg, #1 New York Times bestselling author of True Fiction "Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." The New York Times This new edition includes an afterword by David H. Everson, a poltical science professor and a two time Shamus Award nominated author

"A superb thriller!" Jack Higgins, author of The Eagle Has Landed It's June 1940. War is raging in Europe. France is about to collapse to the Nazis. England is bracing for a devastating German invasion...and the fall of the British empire. In desperation, Winston Churchill sends the kingdom's wealth in gold bullion and securities to Canada for safekeeping. The first of these top secret shipments, traveling by sea to North America and then by train to Montreal, is worth over $500 million. A group of American soldiers are plotting to steal it... and only one man, a lowly agent for the Bank of England, stands in their way. "A sweeping adventure spectacle." Kirkus Reviews "The action highballs along." St. Louis Post-Dispatch "A first-rate novel of suspense." Edward L. Beach, author of Run Silent, Run Deep A substantially different version of this book was previously published under the title "MacTaggart's War."

"A brilliantly original, surprising plot in one of the best crime novel series ever written. This is straight-up, hardboiled crime fiction, written in a tight, evocative voice with a wicked, dark sense of humor. It's wonderful!" Lee Goldberg, #1 New York Times bestselling author The ninth adventure in the legendary detective series that inspired some of the best crime and thriller authors of our time.Unlicensed P.I. Jim Hardman's buddy Hump Evans, a former NFL player, drops a one dollar bet in the friendly, neighborhood football pool for a possible $100 pot...and, against all odds, he wins. But when Hump goes to collect, he discovers he's been cheated out of his small jackpot. Chasing that hundred bucks leads the two friends into a maze of arson, embezzlement, and murder that will force them into staging a daring con game to snare a master swindler and a desperate killer. This new edition includes the long-lost Ralph Dennis short story Wind Spirit. "A lightning-paced crime story packed with irreverence and loads of action." Publishers Weekly "Everything one expects from a private eye novel: exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose." Mystery Scene Magazine "Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." The New York Times

The 12th and final adventure in the legendary Hardman series It's doing the small, simple favors that gets Jim Hardman in the most trouble. A waitress he knows asks him to find her missing husband, a freelance bartender who never returned from a weekend party that he was working. Hardman figures it's a two-day job that will lead to a tawdry end. Instead, Hardman and his buddy Hump, the ex-NFL star, get sucked into a scheme involving a hundred grand in stolen jewelry and two corpses...and counting. "Hardman spoke directly to me. If I had a spirit guide with the Hap & Leonard novels, it was Ralph Dennis. I wish you the joy I got from first reading these novels." Joe R. Lansdale, New York Times bestselling author "Everything one expects from a private eye novel: exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared." Mystery Scene Magazine "Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." The New York Times "Among the best book series around." Philadelphia Daily News "A lightning-paced crime story packed with irreverence and loads of action." Publishers Weekly "By far the best of the action-adventure series." Mother Jones Magazine This new edition includes an afterword by Lee Goldberg, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of True Fiction

For years, original copies of Ralph Dennis' Hardman novels, one of the best crime fiction series ever written, were the Holy Grail for collectors because they were nearly impossible to find and very pricey. But those days are over. Hardman is back! "The Hardman books are by far the best of the men's action-adventure series." Mother Jones Magazine It's Atlanta, 1974. Ex-cop Jim Hardman and his drinking buddy Hump Evans, an ex-NFL player, will do just about anything short of a felony to make a buck...but even that rule is flexible. "Among the best series books around." Philadelphia Daily News In their sixth adventure, Hardman steps into the middle of a bar fight and stumbles into a deadly but lucrative job -- protecting a guy who is next-in-line for a massive inheritance from being murdered by professional assassins. But as the body count rises, and killers just keep on coming, it becomes clear to Hardman that the motive is more than money... and that he may be fighting an adversary who will never stop, even after death. "Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." The New York Times This new edition includes an Afterword from author Cynthia Williams, who was one of Ralph Dennis' students.

The third novel in Ralph Dennis' great, but hard-to-find 1970s detective series that's been sought-after for decades by readers of the very best in crime fiction. Jim Hardman was a mediocre Atlanta cop until he was wrongly accused of corruption and thrown off the force. Now he works as an unlicensed PI, trouble-shooter and bodyguard...often partnered with his drinking buddy Hump Evans, a black, ex-NFL player who supports his playboy lifestyle by working as hired muscle. Hardman is hired to find Peggy Holt, a drug dealer, stripper, and serial seductress who has kidnapped her six-year-old daughter from her ex-husband. Peggy has disappeared into an Atlanta underworld populated by the dirty cops, crooked lawyers and violent mobsters that she's bedded and betrayed...and who keep coming back for more. The only way Hardman can find her is to follow the trail of corpses that she's left in her wake... without becoming one himself. This edition includes an introduction by New York Times bestselling author Joe R. Lansdale and an afterword by Richard A. Moore.

The tenth unforgettable novel in the legendary crime seriesIt's a bitter, cold night in Atlanta. Ex-cop Jim Hardman walks in on a convenience robbery committed by a youmg woman and two men that leaves an innocent clerk dead. It's an ugly experience Hardman can't shake...and it gets worse when the parents of the female felon want to hire him to find their fugitive daughter before the cops do. Hardman wants nothing to do with the job. But his sometime partner Hump Evans is bored and short on cash... and takes the case. Soon Hump is pursued by a chain-wielding gang of racist bikers and mired in a seedy underworld of drugs, prostitution, and senseless violence that even the tough, ex-NFL player can't handle alone... "Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared." Mystery Scene Magazine "Dennis may not have made literature of Hardman, but he damn sure touched on it more than a time or two." Joe R. Lansdale, New York Times bestselling author "A lightning-paced crime story packed with irreverence and loads of action." Publishers Weekly "Tough, gritty and funny. The Hardman novels stack up against the best PI fiction. Ever." The Fine Art of Murder "Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." The New York Times This new edition includes an afterword by Mel Odom, the award-winning author of The Rover

The seventh novel in the legendary Hardman series."The Hardman books are by far the best of the men's action-adventure series." Mother Jones Magazine It's Atlanta, 1974. Ex-cop Jim Hardman and ex-NFL player Hump Evans do odd jobs. Anything that pays. As long as its not kidnapping, robbery, or murder. Not that they are afraid of killing...if that's what it takes to survive one of their odd jobs. And this time it will. "Among the best series books around. The dialogue is marvelously realistic." Philadelphia Daily NewsAn old, professional gambler who once saved Hardman's neck has been working as an accountant for The Man, the city's black Godfather. When the gambler is killed, and The Man's coded ledger disappears, Hardman and Hump are hired to get the book...and settle the score. "Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." The New York Times"The Hardman series is one of the finest in the P.I. genre." Robert Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America This new edition includes an Afterword from Hank Wagner, co-author of the book Thrillers: 100 Must Reads.

"Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." The New York Times Before Spenser & Hawk, Elvis Cole & Joe Pike, and Hap & Leonard, there was Jim Hardman & Hump Evans, author Ralph Dennis' legendary 1970s PI team. They're back in the fifth adventure in the beloved and acclaimed series that influenced generations of crime writers. Retired pro football star Ed Cross did most of his scoring between bed posts with other player's women, including Hump's ex-girlfriend. That was bad enough. But, just to rub it in, Cross sends Hump an x-rated birthday skin flick of him celebrating in bed with two women. Hump goes looking for blood... and finds it. Cross is murdered and Hump becomes the prime suspect. Hardman works to clear Hump and discovers there's plenty of murderous hate for Cross out there...from the top of the sports world to the pits of Atlanta's illegal gambling scene... and revealing it could get them both killed. This new edition includes an Afterword from Ben Jones, the Dukes of Hazzard actor and former U.S. Congressman from Georgia. PRAISE FOR THE HARDMAN NOVELS "Like Chandler and Hammett before him, Dennis was trying to do something different with what was thought of as throwaway literature." Joe R. Lansdale, New York Times bestselling author of the Hap & Leonard series "The Hardman books are by far the best of the men's action-adventure series." Mother Jones Magazine "Among the best series books around." Philadelphia Daily News

The long-lost, never-before-published, thirteenth novel in the legendary Hardman series. Jim Hardman will do just about anything for a buck, short of a felony, though he has been known to push the line. It's a career choice that takes a big toll on his soul and leads him to a shocking discovery that breaks his heart. That's when a high-powered lawyer hires him to go to London to find the missing heir of a wealthy Georgia industrialist. The timing is perfect for Hardman, who is eager to escape his personal pain. But misery of a different sort is awaiting him in England, where he becomes embroiled in an ugly case of embezzlement and murder that follows him back to Atlanta...and that will have a devastating impact on his life. Includes an Afterword by Lee Goldberg, #1 New York Times bestselling author of True Fiction and Lost Hills Praise for the Hardman Series: "Expert writing, plus good plotting and an unusual degree of sensitivity. Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment. " The New York Times "Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared." Mystery Scene Magazine "Gritty writing? Tough talk? Gripping action? Yes, yes and yes." The Daily Oklahoman "It's gritty, it's grounded, and it's also strong on character. The writing is a cut above and then there's the social realism, the piercing look at racism, corruption and the underbelly of the city." NB Magazine UK "The Hardman books are by far the best of the men's action-adventure series." Mother Jones Magazine "Ralph Dennis is an underappreciated master. His Hardman series is one of the finest in the P.I. genre." Robert Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America

The bold new novel of espionage and betrayal from thriller master Ralph Dennis, the author of A Talent for Killing and the acclaimed Hardman series of crime novels.Will Hall is a CIA agent in a South American country on the brink of Civil War. But when the moderate, rebel leader that Hall covertly supported is assassinated, the spy resigns and retreats to a cabin in the North Carolina woods. His quiet, civilian life is shattered when an unknown adversary frames him for revealing Agency secrets, putting a kill-on-sight target on his back. Hall runs in a global chase to evade death, clear his name, and free himself from the flawless "box job" that could become his coffin. Praise for Ralph Dennis: "A breathless, lean noir thriller. Every line is razor sharp. Jason Bourne fans will find a lot to like." Publishers Weekly "Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." New York Times "Believable and constantly thrilling." The Spy Guys & Gals Site "His prose is muscular, swift and highly readable. " Joe R. Lansdale, New York Times bestselling author "Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose." Mystery Scene Magazine "Straight-up, hardboiled crime fiction, written in a tight, evocative voice with a wicked, dark sense of humor." Lee Goldberg, New York Times bestselling author

The first novel in the unforgettable, long lost series by Ralph Dennis is finally back in print... after being coveted for years by collectors of the very best in hardboiled fiction. Jim Hardman was a mediocre Atlanta cop until he was wrongly accused of corruption and thrown off the force. Now he works as an unlicensed PI, trouble-shooter and bodyguard...often partnered with his drinking buddy Hump Evans, a black, ex-NFL player who supports his playboy lifestyle by working as hired muscle. Hardman is hired by The Man, a black mobster, to investigate the murder of his white girlfriend, a college student. It's a case that plunges Hardman and Evans into the center of a violent street war that stretches from Atlanta's seedy back alleys to the marbled corridors of power. This new edition includes an introduction by Joe R. Lansdale, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hap & Leonard series of crime novels.

There's a killer stalking children in a small, North Carolina town...and the only one who can stop him is the local Sheriff, a man crippled physically and emotionally by a war that he's still fighting within himself. The haunting, powerful new thriller by Ralph Dennis, author of the legendary Hardman series of crime novelsWilton Drake's hip was shattered by a sniper's bullet in Lebanon...and his heart was ripped apart by the wife who left him as lay in a military hospital. Now, after fiteen years in the Navy, he's returned to Edgefield, North Carolina a broken man, looking for a way to hold himself together. He finds it in a bottle...and behind a badge as Webster County's newly elected Sheriff...but his forbidden attraction to a mysterious stripper and his harrowing investigation into a horrific string of child murders might destroy what's left of him, body and soul. "Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." New York Times "His prose is muscular, swift and highly readable. " Joe R. Lansdale, author of the Hap & Leonard novels, the basis for the hit TV series. "Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared." Mystery Scene Magazine"An underappreciated master." Robert J. Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America. "Straight-up, hardboiled crime fiction, written in a tight, evocative voice with a wicked, dark sense of humor." Lee Goldberg, #1 New York Times bestselling author of True Fiction and Lost Hills.

"A breathless, lean noir thriller. Every line is razor sharp and without an ounce of fat. Jason Bourne fans will find a lot to like." Publishers WeeklyLONG BEFORE JASON BOURNE, THERE WAS KANE Kane was a top CIA assassin until he suffered traumatic physical and psychological injuries in a mission that went horribly wrong. The Agency wiped his memory, gave him a new identity, and retired him to a life of mundane, anonymous domesticity. But his training, and his talent for killing, came back with a vengeance. He created a new life for himself as a killer-for-hire, righting wrongs for people who can't find peace or justice any other way. He doesn't know that his memories are fiction, or that he is always being watched, or that he's been targeted for death by a rogue faction within the Agency. A TALENT FOR KILLING In this brutal, fast-moving thriller from Ralph Dennis, the author of the legendary Hardman series of crime novels, Kane finds himself caught between the mob, Cuban revolutionaries, and his own government as he seeks retribution for a man murdered for uncovering small-town corruption...and justice for another man on death row, falsely convicted of raping and murdering a child. Praise for Ralph Dennis "Like Chandler and Hammett before him, Dennis was trying to do something different with what was thought of as throwaway literature." Joe R. Lansdale "Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." New York Times "Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose." Mystery Scene Magazine A portion of this book was previously published in 1976 under the title Deadman's Game

"Dennis wrote with assurance. His prose was muscular, swift, and highly readable." Joe R. Lansdale, from his introduction Jim Hardman was an Atlanta cop until he was wrongly accused of corruption and thrown off the force. Now he works as an unlicensed PI, trouble-shooter and bodyguard...often partnered with his drinking buddy Hump Evans, a black, ex-NFL player who supports his playboy lifestyle by working as hired muscle. A small-town farmer hires Hardman to find his teenage daughter who ran off to Atlanta to become a model...and ended up a hooker. It's fast work for Hardman, but she's gunned down minutes after he finds her. To hunt her killer, Hardman and Hump Evans take a deep dive into a bottomless cesspool of vice and greed that could drown them. This new edition includes an introduction by Joe R. Lansdale, author of the Hap & Leonard novels, and an afterword by Paul Bishop, author and retired LAPD homicide detective. Praise for the HARDMAN novels by Ralph Dennis: "Ralph Dennis is an underappreciated master. His Hardman series is one of the finest in the P.I. genre." Robert Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America "Among the best series books around." Philadelphia Daily News "Expert writing, plus good plotting and an unusual degree of sensitivity." New York Times

"Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared." Mystery Scene Magazine"Dennis may not have made literature of Hardman, but he damn sure touched on it more than a time or two," Joe R. Lansdale, New York Times author of the Hap & Leonard series The eighth novel in the legendary Hardman series. Ex-cop Jim Hardman and ex-NFL player Hump Evans will do anything for a buck, short of murder. But this time, that's exactly the service that Hardman is offering. He's posing as a hitman in a sting being run by his only friend left on the Atlanta PD. The scam goes fatally wrong and Hardman becomes the guy with the target on his back... "A lightning-paced crime story packed with irreverence and loads of action." Publishers Weekly "Among the best series books around. The dialogue is marvelously realistic." Philadelphia Daily News "Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." The New York Times "Hardman is not your typical PI. He is not that good looking; a bit on the pudgy side in fact. His methods are unorthodox, and he often plays both sides of the law when working a case. But these and other genre-defying characteristics are what captures and holds our fascination." Bookgasm This new edition includes an Afterword from author Robert J. Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America

The second novel in the unforgettable, long lost series by Ralph Dennis is finally back in print... after being coveted for years by collectors of the very best in hardboiled fiction. Jim Hardman was a mediocre Atlanta cop until he was wrongly accused of corruption and thrown off the force. Now he works as an unlicensed PI, trouble-shooter and bodyguard...often partnered with his drinking buddy Hump Evans, a black, ex-NFL player who supports his playboy lifestyle by working as hired muscle. Five kids rip off a gambling party attended by Hump Evans and some of Atlanta's criminal and political elite. Hardman is hired to recover the loot and find the kids before they are caught and butchered by a hitman from Charleston with a very sharp knife. This new edition includes an introduction by Joe R. Lansdale, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hap & Leonard crime novels.