I just learned that the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance has chosen PORT CITY BLACK AND WHITE as a finalist for the 2012 Maine Literary Awards in the category of crime fiction. A bit of good news, especially considering the caliber of the other finalists: THE LOST DAUGHTERS by Janis Bolster, and TRESPASSER by Paul Doiron. If we are judged by the company we keep, I’m in a good place.
Winners will be announced in Portland May 31. Brandon Blake will see if he can get the night off at Portland P.D.






In PORT CITY SHAKEDOWN, the first Brandon Blake novel, Brandon gets a full dose of bad guys. A brawl in a funeral home introduces him to Joel Fuller, a sociopathic hustler. Fuller is fresh out of jail and determined to take Brandon out—after Fuller and his sidekick Kelvin shake him down.
Rocky isn’t a tough guy. He’s a skinny little kid with crooked glasses, and he shouldn’t be homeless in Portland, Maine. When McMorrow and Roxanne pluck him from under the stomping feet of a gang of street kids, Rocky latches onto McMorrow–and drags him into a world of murder, both old and new. Why is McMorrow protecting Rocky? The cops want to know. Why is Rocky on the run? McMorrow wants to know. Why does death follow in Rocky’s wake? Jack and Roxanne need to find out before they’re added to the list.