Assassination is Maureen Eckles’ business. Vengeance is her quest. When Maureen learns that Leo “Riddles” Ridley is back in Chicago, the screaming harridan of violence and vengeance is unmuzzled in Maureen’s troubled head. The harridan only quiets when fed steady doses of death, which Maureen is only too happy to provide, especially if Riddles is the on the menu. She’ll make him suffer for his betrayal, for abandoning her to the fate of prison for her work as a member of Riddles’ outfit. But first she has to find him. Maureen’s furious night of violence and vengeance begins at a mysterious, gun-selling taco truck in a dark vacant lot and ends in the broken quiet of a dark alley. In between, she hunts down past associates who could help her find Riddles: the lawyer who wronged her, the failed comic with the analytical mind, the racketeer who runs a shadowy poker game, the woman who shares Riddles’ bed. But Riddles is slippery, always just ahead of Maureen’s Beretta. With each close call of finding Riddles, the harridan in Maureen’s head screams louder, the demand for death more insistent. As Maureen guns her T-Bird through Chicago’s crime haunted shadows, her hunt for Riddles grows desperate, her need for vengeance claws deeper. Her wild quest ends in a climax of exploding emotions, memories, heartbreak and violence. Vengeance has its price. Praise for A TACO, A T-BIRD, A BERETTA AND ONE FURIOUS NIGHT: “Ann Aptaker’s latest noir masterpiece grabs you by the throat on the first page and doesn’t let go. Stylish and unputdownable, written with an edge sharp enough to make Dashiell Hammett wince.” —John Altman, bestselling author of False Flag “Ann Aptaker’s A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta and One Furious Night is a fun, welcome dose of classic noir with plenty of bite. I enjoyed the hell out of this one.” —Alex Segura, author of Blackout and Miami Midnight

There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order. Each episode of Guns & Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag. Episode 10: A Taco, a T-Bird, a Beretta and One Furious Night by Ann Aptaker Episode 11: Sopa and a Streetsweeper by Ryan Sayles Episode 12: Dos Tacos Guatemaltecos y Una Pistola Casera by Mark Troy Episodes 7-9 of Season Two are featured in Guns + Tacos Vol. 3.

Sal Anthony has been picked on his entire life. When his nemesis from high school, Moe Wolf, comes back to town, the old wounds boil to the surface. Moe competes with Sal for the affection of a dancer at a church that has been converted to a strip club. The rivalry turns violent and the old pecking order is established once again. But this time, Sal Anthony isn’t having it. He’s just lost his job. His apartment is infested with rodents. The entire world seems thrilled to walk all over him. His patience with the idea that God will exact vengeance on his behalf has run out. On the advice of another patron at the strip club, Sal sets out for Chicago to find a very special taco truck that holds the key to getting the bully Moe Wolf, and the entire, cruel world, for that matter, off his back once and for all.

There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order. Each episode of Guns & Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag. Episode 7: Burritos & Bullets by Eric Beetner Episode 8: Jalapeño Poppers and a Flare Gun by Michael Bracken & Trey R. Barker Episode 9: Four Shrimp Tacos and a Walther P38 by Alec Cizak Episodes 10-12 of Season Two are featured in Guns + Tacos Vol. 4.

Lambda Literary Award-winning author introduces readers to the crime-fighting duo of Fin Donner and Devorah Longstreet—Lovers. Investigators. Women ahead of their time. New York City, 1899—a city on the cusp of a new century. A city growing taller, faster, a city of new inventions, new ideas—and old dangers on its shadowy streets where crime, misery, and murder lurk. When Pauline Godfrey, a young woman embodying the coming modern age, is viciously murdered, her throat cut, private inquiry agents Finola “Fin” Donner and Devorah Longstreet must navigate a world of violence and passion, lust and betrayal, where duty is twisted into bitter obedience and love is soiled. Fin, a tough survivor of the dockside slums, and her beloved companion, the elegant, intellectual socialite Devorah, probe deep into the festering secrets of a family, the rot and corruption of the police department, and the sinister world of the city’s thieves, whores, and thugs to find the killer.

The Sixties were a time of great cultural upheaval, and that upheaval continued into the 1970s. In the midst of all this, private eyes worked with clients across the generations, from those still clinging to the social mores of Nixon’s “silent majority” to those who embraced the rapid societal changes that began in the 1960s. From old-school private eyes to the Baby Boomers coming of age and entering the trade, these private eyes will take readers on a funky frolic through the Dyn-O-Mite Seventies. Contributors include Ann Aptaker, N.M. Cedeño, Bill Fitzhugh, James A. Hearn, Laura Oles, Alan Orloff, Gary Phillips, Neil S. Plakcy, William Dylan Powell, Stephen D. Rogers, Mark Thielman, Bev Vincent, and Andrew Welsh-Huggins.

Mickey Finn: 21st Century Noir, Volume 4, the fourth entry of the hard-hitting anthology series, is another crime-fiction cocktail that will again knock readers into a literary stupor. Contributors push hard against the boundaries of crime fiction, driving their work into places short crime fiction doesn’t often go, into a world where the mean streets seem gentrified by comparison and happy endings are the exception rather than the rule. And they do all this in contemporary settings, bringing noir into the 21st century. Like any good cocktail, Mickey Finn is a heady mix of ingredients that packs a punch, and when you’ve finished reading every story, you’ll know that you’ve been “slipped a Mickey.” The nineteen contributors, including some of today’s most respected short-story writers and new writers making their mark on the genre, include: Ann Aptaker, Trey R. Barker, Michael Bracken, John M. Floyd, Nils Gilbertson, David Hagerty, James A. Hearn, Hugh Lessig, Sean McCluskey, Adam Meyer, Gabe Morran, Alan Orloff, Josh Pachter, Stephen D. Rogers, Bev Vincent, Joseph S. Walker, Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Sam Wiebe, and Stacy Woodson.

The ninth issue of Black Cat Mystery features a stellar lineup of new stories (and one classic reprint). Here are— LAST RITES, by Stacy Woodson THE JERICHO TRAIN, by John M. Floyd CORAL COVE, by B.A. Paul THE ALLEY, by Ann Aptaker SONNY'S ENCORE, by Michael Bracken SWITCH AND BAIT, by Cynthia Ward BECOMING ZERO, by James A. Hearn THE MURDER OF JONATHAN GREYSTONE, by Barry Fulton YOU GOTTA BE IN IT!, by Elliott Capon THE YOU-DON'T-KNOW-THE-HALF-OF-IT-DEARIE BLUES, by Michael Kurland A FIGHTER BY HIS TRADE, by Graham Powell Classic reprint: SMELLING LIKE A ROSE, by Gil Brewer

An illustrated history of Loredo, Texas, paired with histories of the local companies.

Writers, game designers, teachers, and students ~this is the book youve been waiting for! Written by storytellers for storytellers, this volume offers an entirely new approach to word finding. Browse the pages within to see what makes this book different: