Rough draft - James W Hall

Pawn of the FBI and prey for a psychopath, ex-cop Hannah Keller is running for her life in this electrifying new thriller from one of Florida's most acclaimed authors - hailed by James Ellroy as 'the master'.

Five years after leaving the Miami PD, ex-cop Hannah Keller still can't escape the memories of her disastrous final case: of how her young son saw his grandparents murdered in front of his eyes and how she failed to find their killer. In her new career as a crime novelist she has tried to put those terrible events behind her - until the day she stumbles across a copy of her first novel covered in strange cryptic markings. She realizes that these are not the ravings of a madman but a code that could lead to the murderer. The challenge is irresistible, but soon she finds herself caught up in an FBI scheme that hurtles wildly out of control, leaving Hannah and her son running for their lives from the hitman from hell.

JAMES W. HALL is an Edgar and Shamus Award-winning author whose books have been translated into a dozen languages. He divides his time between South Florida and North Carolina.

'Dizzying. a convoluted story of murder, revenge and mayhem. Hall's villains mesmerize us. In Hal, he has hit homicidal pay dirt, creating a character as chillingly complex and as grimly comical as anything concocted by Carl Hiaasen or Elmore Leonard.' Los Angeles Times

'Funny, moving and scary: a thoroughly satisfying thriller.' Washington Post

'A cracking, unputdownable read from a writer who just keeps getting better and better.' Irish Independent

'A hell of a ride. remarkably original. The creepy hitman is one of Hall's best psychos. The guy never loses his menace. chilling.' Miami Herald

'The most elegantly mean of contemporary American crime writers.' Guardian

'James Hall is a writer I have learned from over the years. His people and places have more brush strokes than a Van Gogh. He delivers taut and muscular stories about a place where evil always lurks below the surface.' MICHAEL CONNELLY

'James Hall is the master of suspense, his writing runs as clear and fast as the Gulf Stream waters.' New York Times