Books by Rick Ollerman

Picking up from where our last issue left off, we have another group of crime stories written especially for us. Starting with ex-police detective Lissa Marie Redmond whose short fiction has appeared in anthologies like Akashic's Buffalo Noir and whose debut novel will be out in February 2018, we move along to novelist Andrew Welsh-Huggins, author of the Andy Hayes PI series. Then we have a chilling new tale by short story specialist Nick Kolakowsi, followed by this issue's featured writer, Bill Crider, who takes us to Blacklin County, Texas, where he treats us to a new story starring everyone's favorite sheriff, Dan Rhodes. Tim Lockhart's debut novel came out earlier this year amidst a lot of buzz and he's here with a very dark tale indeed. Next we offer a taste of J.J. Hensley's fast-paced writing with an airborne story as we await the premiere of a new series early next year. Our trip to the past brings us to the legendary writer Carroll John Daly and his no-holds-barred character Race Williams, who never shot any man that didn't deserve it. We close out the issue with a story strong with irony by Ben Boulden. Throw in a terrific column by J. Kingston Pierce and you've got another issue of Down & Out: The Magazine.

We know a healthy appetite for well-written short stories exists and we want to help make things better. Our goal with Down & Out: The Magazine is to be a little different than other magazines by standing on the shoulders of the giants that have come before us, or at least tiptoe along the arrows in the backs of the pioneers of modern magazine publishing. Each issue will feature a story based on a series character like this issue's brand-new Moe Prager story by Reed Farrel Coleman. If you're a fan of Moe, who is now retired, you'll want to read this fantastic story. We also have new tales by established and well-known writers. This debut issue includes series stories by Eric Beetner, Michael A. Black, Jen Conley, Terrence McCauley, Rick Ollerman, and Thomas Pluck. J. Kingston Pierce, fresh off his former beat from Kirkus Reviews, introduces "Placed in Evidence," his non-fiction column only to be found here. Finally, we'll take a bit of the long road as we answer the question of what happened to crime fiction after Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler moved on from the pulps in "A Few Cents a Word." This issue we re-introduce Frederick Nebel with the first of his Donahue series, "Rough Justice." This is a fun one. For fans of good writing, good literature, and good crime...welcome.

 TURNABOUTFormer cop Frankie O’Neil’s best friend has just taken a high dive out of a plane–without a chute. He’d been working with a couple of cops, Hill and Fetterman, to figure out a complicated scheme involving a shady business at a financial services company. Using a computer system to hide what’s been going on, the police needed help to figure out their scheme. With O’Neil’s friend gone, they turn to him as a replacement. The trouble is, O’Neil doesn’t trust anybody except his young protégé, and together they set out to find out who was really responsible for what happened to Tim Clayton. There’s money involved, and lots of it. When O’Neil’s wife is suddenly taken, he has no choice but to unravel the tangled skein of corruption and missing money made possible by a mix of old-fashioned corruption and a new breed of high-tech criminal. SHALLOW SECRETSA captured killer implicates an impossible suspect. A cop’s career is ruined. When James Robinson abruptly leaves the force, he walks away from law enforcement forever, disgraced publicly and privately, his life in complete shambles. Or so he thinks. Years later, another killer is caught, and when lovely reporter Sabrina Wells seeks his help, Robinson won’t even listen. Until she shows him a note in his own handwriting, tying him to a victim he’d long since thought put to rest. Haunted by a promise from his past, Robinson and Sabrina travel north to Baker County, Florida, where they uncover a nest of seemingly unconnected murders. Or are they? Past and present come together in a sweltering mix of passion and murder. Can Robinson escape the sins of his past and catch a killer, or killers, in the process? Or will he himself fall victim to a stalker who knows more about him than he ever dreamed? 

Jeff Prentiss’s life is a mess. As a homicide detective working in St. Petersburg, he knows he’s made too many mistakes and made too many enemies. When his wife’s ex-husband, Roy Lee Evans, is released from prison and threatens his family, Jeff does what he must to keep them safe. Now fighting for his career, his wife Lori believes he knows more about Evans’ whereabouts than he’s willing to say. With his family life strained to the breaking point, a “celebrity” thief is found dead, and Jeff and his new partner find themselves roasting in the media spotlight. There’s a disc that ties the dead man to a political bigshot in Tampa, but the link doesn’t make any sense.Everything keeps coming back to Lori’s missing ex, even as the case points to an organized crime operation. Jeff compounds old mistakes with new ones and as the investigation continues, he begins a slow descent into his own darkened version of Hell. Should he share everything with his partner, be honest with Lori? Only she’s disappeared and Jeff is a man in search of the truth, but he knows that if he finds it, it just might kill them all.