Tue Oct 14, 2008 — by Robert Greenberger

New Lester Dent Novel Found

Crime Story to be Published in 2009

We adore Hard Case Crime and their line of hardboiled crime and mystery tales from new and famous authors.  Founder Charles Ardai just announced that he will publish, for the first time ever, a Lester Dent novel, Honey in his Mouth. The creator of Doc Savage had written the story intended for the Gold Medal line of books that are a direct ancestor to Hard Case.

Similarly, a previously unpublished Roger Zelazny mystery, Dead Man’s Brother, will finally see the light of day in February, the first new Zelazny novel in 15 years. Found more than 30 years after it was written, it’s the only new book by the author since his death a decade ago. The breathless back cover copy tells us: “Once an art smuggler, now a respectable art dealer, Ovid Wiley awoke to find his former partner stabbed to death on his gallery floor. That was strange enough—but when a CIA agent showed up to spring him from NYPD custody, things got a lot stranger.

“Now the CIA is offering to clear up the murder charge, but only in return for a favor: They want Ovid to fly to Vatican City and trace the trail of a renegade priest who has gone missing with millions in church funds. What’s the connection? The priest’s lover, a woman Ovid knew in his smuggling days... “Those who’ve read early copies have been effusive with their praise.

Now out, is The First Quarry, featuring Max Allan Collins’ early crime character. He wrote his first Quarry book in 1976 and has periodically revisited the character ever since, most recently in last year’s Hard Case release, The Last Quarry.  This book, the eighth, goes all the way back to the hitman’s beginning.
 

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