Books in the Black Gat Books series

EDDIE'S WORLD Eddie Senta is in the middle of a midlife crisis. His wife's biological clock is ticking and she wants a baby. She also wants him to start making some money. And his career as a word processor is going nowhere. Even his old gig as a runner for the mob holds no excitement for him anymore. Eddie feels trapped. So when an old friend shows up with an opportunity to make an easy score with a quick robbery, he takes it. It's more the thrill than anything that appeals to him. But the robbery's a bust, and now he's involved in a triple murder case with the FBI after him, a crazy killer under the federal witness protection on his ass, and two New York detectives and a Russian mobster not far behind. Eddie's life just got interesting.

Two short novels featuring the detection of Sherlock Holmes and Mr. Mac, a character introduced by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in "The Valley of Fear."

THE PERSIAN CAT The aftermath of the war has left Gil Denby a cynical shell. So when Pinel comes to him with a mission to bring a Nazi traitor to justice, his only question is, “How much will it pay?” When he finds out that it involves Edmund Marlan, corrupt financier, it also becomes personal. And the job couldn’t be simpler. All he has to do is travel to Teheran, get close to Marlan, then convince the man’s mistress, Claire Fayne, to board a plane with him for Cairo, where she will be tried for the betrayal of her husband as a Nazi sympathizer. Simple as hell.   Helping Denby on his mission is young Gaby, a war child with worldly ways. Pursuing him is Berkeley, a British agent of questionable loyalties. And protecting the interests of Marlan are Grayle and Drexel, two dedicated young men who take their job very seriously. All Denby has with him is a little china cat to let his Teheran contact know he’s one of the good guys. But the more he gets to know Claire Fayne, the more he begins to question just where his loyalties lie…

FELONY TANK “You’re just a youngster. What’re you doing in here?”“I’m old enough.”“Old enough for what?”“Old enough to take care of myself”“Kid, no one’s that old.” Doug is only seventeen when he hits town. He’s been on the run for awhile, and thinks he’s got it all figured out. But when he’s caught robbing a store, he finds that nothing has prepared him for the felony tank. Lying about his age, he is jailed with the adults, and here he meets Carl, the aging lifer with a steady supply of candy bars; Armando, who cuts first and talks later; Pesco, the big wheel from California; and Billy and his friend Agnes, two small-time hoods with big plans for escape…

The first time Ben Parker meets Johnny Angel, Ben is blowing bass with Daddy Halloway and the Hot Babies. Angel angles into the band by acing out the drummer. Parker's got a bad feeling about Angel, but has to hire him anyway. Johnny Angel, raised from the school of hard knocks, doesn't let anyone or any scruple get in his way. First, he steals Daddy's band, then he steals his daughter, Blanche. Then WWII happens-Parker serves, but Johnny cops a gay plea and gets out. When Parker gets back he hooks up with a talented but tubercular composer named Con Conners. And a sultry singer, Ginger. But Johnny Angel is right behind him, ready to do whatever it takes to climb to the top on someone else's talent, be it beg, borrow or steal... even kill. This is the ruthless story of the music business told from the inside, starting from the days of swing jazz to bebop, all the way to rock'n'roll.

Originally published in paperback by Ace Books in 1956 as by "Jonathan Gant," this is the story of an arrogant killer who plans to control a city through a ruthless blackmail scheme.

THE MEN FROM THE BOYS Marty Bond had been a famous cop in New York. But that was before he was "retired" from the force. Now he's a house dick at a crummy hotel, pimping, rousting, drinking too much. His stomach is killing him, and it comes as no surprise when the doctor says it might be a tumor. Knowing he must have cancer, Marty starts to plan a quicker exit. That's when his stepson comes to him. An auxiliary cop working the streets, Lawrence thinks there was something fishy in a meat seller who cries robbery one minute, then changes his mind the next. Marty tells him to forget about it. But the kid investigates anyway, and is almost beaten to death. Now Marty figures it's time to take Lawrence's suspicions seriously. But what can an ex-cop on the skids do when all he has left are a few old skills, a cynical heart, and the little time remaining?

THE HOODS TAKE OVER Alan Avery is out one evening picking up medicine for his pregnant wife's migraine when he witnesses a brutal murder. Two thugs cut a guy's throat, then throw his body into their trunk and drive away. When he reports to the police exactly what he has seen, the cops are surprised to find someone who will actually stand up to the hoods in town. His wife fears the worst, but Alan sticks by his testimony. So when Ricca and Doto are arrested and fingered by Alan, crime boss Marty Kahn springs into action, eventually getting them freed. Now the gangsters are making their own plans-and dealing with Alan is the number one priority on their list.

FRANTIC Julien Courtois finds himself in a bit of financial bind. And the only way out is murder. He's even got the perfect plan. While his secretary believes him to be in his office, he climbs up a rope to an upper floor and stages his victim's "suicide." It all works according to plan. But on his way out of the building, he remembers that the rope is still dangling out of the window, leading right down to his office! Rushing back into the building, Julien manages to get stuck in the elevator when the janitor turns off the power for the weekend. At the same time, a young couple steal Julien's car from in front of the building, and his wife, thinking she's watching Julien drive off with another woman, assumes the worst. And so begins a torturous set of circumstances. While Julien remains trapped in the elevator, his life gradually becomes unraveled by a vindictive wife and a couple of teenagers playing at being gangsters. Filmed in 1961 by Louis Malle as Elevator to the Gallows, this classic French novel is a masterpiece of noir tension.