Megan Abbott - Wall Street Noir

A few hours later, Peter Dutton met with Ellis Quantrill at a prearranged spot on the road to Toncontín Airport.

“Is it done?” Quantrill wanted to know.

“Like you wanted, painful and nasty. It’s going to be hard to identify her. I got the call a few minutes ago from my man confirming it.”

“Excellent. That’s the other forty grand, plus expenses,” Quantrill said, handing over a sleek leather attaché case.

“Boy, she must’ve really pissed you off.”

“I don’t think that’s any of your affair. Now, I’ve got to go and act shocked. Goodbye, Mister...?”

“Dutton will do,” he said, walking to his car. “And remember, if anything should happen to me in the near future, I’ve seen to it that you’ll go in a manner far worse than Miss Tanglewood. My colleagues will make it last much, much longer.”

“Are these sorts of threats really necessary?”

“Due diligence, Ellis. Due diligence.”

Megan Abbottis the author of three novels, the Edgar-nominated Die a Little, The Song Is You , and Queenpin ; and a nonfiction study, The Street Was Mine: White Masculinity in Hardboiled Fiction and Film Noir . She lives in Queens, New York.

Richard Aleasis the author of Little Girl Lost, which was nominated for both the Edgar Award and the Shamus Award for Best First Novel, as well as its sequel, Songs of Innocence . By day (and under a different name), Aleas is a managing director at a $25 billion investment firm that Fortune magazine once called “the most intriguing and mysterious force on Wall Street.”

Peter Blauneris the author of six novels, including Slow Motion Riot, which won an Edgar Award for Best First Novel, and The Intruder , which was a New York Times bestseller. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Peg Tyre and their two children. His most recent book is Slipping into Darkness.

Henry Blodgetlives in New York City.

Tim Broderickwas born and raised on the southwest side of Chicago, and currently lives on the northwest side with his wife and identical-twin daughters. His first book, Something to Build Upon, was published by Twilight Tales, and his graphic novel/mystery series Odd Jobs can be found at timbroderick.net.

John Burdett, a native of England, is a former lawyer whose practice ranged from barefoot counseling in the tough suburbs of Southeast London to high finance in Hong Kong. He is the author of various novels, including Bangkok 8, Bangkok Tattoo, and Bangkok Haunts. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand.

Reed Farrel Colemanis the Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America. His sixth novel, The James Deans, won the Shamus, Barry, and Anthony Awards for Best Paperback Original of 2005. The book was also nominated for Edgar, Macavity, and Gumshoe Awards. His short stories appear in several anthologies, including Dublin Noir, These Guns for Hire , and Hardboiled Brooklyn.

Jim Fusilliis the author of the New York City — based Terry Orr series, which includes Closing Time, A Well-Known Secret, Tribeca Blues, and Hard, Hard City, which was named Best Novel of 2004 by Mystery Ink magazine. He also writes about rock and pop music for The Wall Street Journal. His book on Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys’ album Pet Sounds was published in 2005 by Continuum.

James Himeis the author of the Jeremiah Spur novels and has a thirty-year relationship with Wall Street as a tax lawyer, real estate capital markets expert, Internet entrepreneur, and, most recently, the CEO of a bioscience company.

Lawrence Light, the Wall Street editor of Forbes magazine, has won many journalism awards. He is the author of Too Rich to Live and Fear & Greed, the first two books in the Karen Glick mystery series, about a financial investigative reporter.

David Noonan, a senior editor at Newsweek , is the author of the nonfiction book Neuro and the novel Memoirs of a Caddy. He is currently at work on a second novel.

Twist Phelan, commodity futures trader and former plaintiff’s trial lawyer, is the author of the legal-themed Pinnacle Peak mystery series, each featuring a different adventure sport. Her investment advice to would-be day traders? “Go to Las Vegas. You’ll lose the same amount of money, and the drinks are free.” Find out more about Twist and her books at www.twistphelan.com.

Stephen Rhodesis the pen name for Keith Styrcula, a fourteen-year derivatives specialist who is the Chairman and Founder of the Structured Products Association. He is the author of two suspense thrillers, including The Velocity of Money, which has been translated into four languages. “At the Top of His Game” is an excerpt from his forthcoming novel, Spontaneous Combustion. His career on Wall Street includes senior roles at JPMorgan, CSFB, and UBS.

Lauren Sandersis the author of two novels: With or Without Yo and Kamikaze Lust winner of a Lambda Literary Award. Her short fiction and nonfiction have appeared in many publications, including Book Forum, American Book Review and Time Out New York . Sanders is coeditor of the anthology Too Darn Hot: Writing About Sex Since Kinsey. She lives with her partner in the nation of Brooklyn.