Johnny Temple - USA Noir - Best of the Akashic Noir Series

“And, in case you haven’t guessed,” Shelby said, “we made three copies of the tape and they’re sitting in three dif­ferent lawyers’ office safes. Anything happens to any one of us, and off they go to Police Plaza.”

“You’re as good as murderers yourself,” Schaeffer mut­tered. “You used me to kill two people.”

Shelby laughed. “ Semper Fi… I’m a former Marine and I’ve been in two wars. Killing vermin like you doesn’t bother me one bit.”

“All right,” the cop said in a disgusted grumble, “what do you want?”

“You’ve got the vacation house on Fire Island, you’ve got two boats moored in Oyster Bay, you’ve got—”

“I don’t need a fucking inventory. I need a number.”

“Basically your entire net worth. Eight hundred sixty thousand dollars. Plus my hundred fifty back… And I want it in the next week. Oh, and you pay his bill too.” Shelby nodded toward the private eye.

“I’m good,” the man said. “But very expensive.” He fin­ished the scone and brushed the crumbs onto the sidewalk.

Shelby leaned forward. “One more thing: my watch.”

Schaeffer stripped off the Rolex and tossed it to Shelby.

The couple rose. “So long, detective,” the tourist said.

“Love to stay and talk,” Mrs. Shelby added, “but we’re going to see some sights. And then we’re going for a carriage ride in Central Park before dinner.” She paused and looked down at the cop. “I just love it here. It’s true what they say, you know. New York really is a nice place to visit.”

Megan Abbottis the Edgar Award–winning author of six novels, including Dare Me , The End of Everything, and Bury Me Deep . Her writing has appeared in Detroit Noir , Queens Noir , Phoenix Noir , the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times Magazine . She is the author of The Street Was Mine: White Masculinity and Urban Space in Hardboiled Fiction and Film Noir and editor of A Hell of a Woman , a female crime fiction anthology. She has been nominated for various awards, including the Steel Dagger, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Pushcart Prize.

Lawrence Block, the editor of both Manhattan Noir and Manhattan Noir 2: The Classics , has been writing award-winning mystery and suspense fiction for half a century. His most recent novels are Hit Me , featuring Keller, and A Drop of the Hard Stuff , featuring Matthew Scudder, who will be played by Liam Neeson in the forthcoming film A Walk Among the Tombstones. He has also written episodic television ( Tilt ) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights. He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.

Tim Broderickis the creator of a graphic novel series featuring David Diangelo that originated as a webcomic on the Internet. He and his wife live in Chicago with their twin daughters, and all the women in the house are far smarter than he. He's currently president of the Midwest chapter of Mystery Writers of America and is working on his fourth book, Children of the Revolution , which can be read for free at timbroderick.net.

Joseph Bruchac's work, like the story in this collection, often reflects his Abenaki Indian ancestry and his deep interest in the history of the Adirondack Mountain region of upstate New York, where he was born—and still resides (in the house where his grandparents raised him).

Jerome Charyn'smost recent novels are The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson (2010) and Under the Eye of God (2012), the eleventh of his Isaac Sidel novels, which are being made into an animated television series. He is currently working on a novel about Abraham Lincoln and a study of Emily Dickinson.

Lee Childwas fired and on the dole when he hatched a harebrained scheme to write a best-selling novel, thus saving his family from ruin. Killing Floor went on to win worldwide acclaim. His series hero, Jack Reacher, besides being fictional, is a kind-hearted soul who allows Child lots of spare time for reading, listening to music, and the Yankees. Visit www.leechild.com for information about the novels, short stories, and the movie Jack Reacher starring Tom Cruise.

Reed Farrel Coleman, author of fifteen novels, has been called a "hard-boiled poet” by NPR's Maureen Corrigan and the "noir poet laureate” in the Huffington Post . He is the three-time winner of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year and is a two-time Edgar Award nominee. He has also received the Macavity, Barry, and Anthony awards. Coleman is an adjunct professor of English at Hofstra University, and lives with his family on Long Island.

Michael Connellyis the best-selling author of twenty-five novels and one work of nonfiction. With over forty-five million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into thirty-six foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly's 1998 novel Blood Work . In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his novel The Lincoln Lawyer hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. Connelly spends his time in California and Florida.

Jeffery Deaver, a former journalist, folk singer, and attorney, is an international number-one best-selling author. His novels have appeared on best-seller lists around the world, including the New York Times , the Times of London, Italy's Corriere della Sera , the Sydney Morning Herald, and the Los Angeles Times . His books are sold in 150 countries and have been translated into twenty-five languages. His most recent novels are XO , a Kathryn Dance thriller, for which he wrote an album of country-western songs; and Carte Blanche , the latest James Bond continuation novel.

Barbara DeMarco-Barrettis author of Pen on Fire: A Busy Woman's Guide to Igniting the Writer Within. She has worked as an auto-parts runner, baker, crisis intervention counselor, and more. Her nonfiction has been published in Orange Coast, Westways , the Los Angeles Times, The Writer, Writer's Digest , and Poets & Writers . She teaches "Jumpstart Your Writing” for Gotham Writers' Workshop and hosts Writers on Writing on KUCI-FM. For more information, visit www.penonfire.com.

Elyssa Eastis the author of the Boston Globe best-selling book, Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town. A New York Times Editors' Choice selection, Dogtown won the 2010 L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award for best work of nonfiction and was named a "Must-Read Book” by the Massachusetts Book Awards. East's essays and reviews have been published in the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, Kansas City Star, and other publications nationwide.

Maggie Estephas published seven books and recorded two spoken-word CDs. She has been a horse groom and a go-go dancer and is a pit bull advocate. Estep's books have been translated into four languages, optioned for film, and frequently stolen from libraries. She is presently working on two books and a TV show. Her short story included in this volume was adapted into a novel by the same name: Alice Fantastic . Estep lives in Hudson, New York.

Jonathan Safran Foeris the author of the award-winning and best-selling novels Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close , as well as two works of nonfiction: Eating Animals and The New American Haggadah . His books have been published in over thirty languages, and he was included in Granta 's "Best of Young American Novelists” issue as well as the New Yorker 's "20 under 40” list of the best young writers in the US.