Sticking It to the Man

 I’ve made no secret of my disenchantment with the publishing industry. Last year I cancelled all my contracts and resolved to self-publish again. I had just about finished moving everything over to Kindle Direct Publishing when Amazon owner Jef Bezos showed how craven he truly was and began to humiliate himself more each day paying fealty to the incoming Felon-in-Chief. I have now pulled everything from Amazon, though the listings still survive due to used bookstores. Books sold under my name in Amazon will NOT send any money my way. Please ignore them. I have a better deal for you.

All my books, as well as a handful of short stories, are now available for free download on my web site. Three formats are available: PDF. MOBI (for Kindles), and EPUB (for Nook and other e-reader platforms). Go to the page with the book you want (links below), click the appropriate button, and the book will download to your computer, tablet, or phone at no cost to you.

Why am I no longer making even a token effort to sell my books? The only thing I enjoy about being an author is the writing and discussing the craft with other authors. Nothing – not a goddamned thing – about publishing or marketing gave me any pleasure at all. What was necessary to get my writing to the public became more tedious every day. I wasn’t making any money from writing, and I’m retired, so it wasn’t like I was trying to build a career. I’d rather spend more time writing than wasting it on marketing and the myriad of other publishing-related pains in my ass.

This means there won’t be any more print versions of my books, which is why I made PDF copies available. Whether or not you have an e-reader, if you’re reading this, you can read a PDF file.

For those who feel cheated at not being able to spend money on my books, there is something you can do for me. As I have removed myself from Amazon and Goodreads (an Amazon subsidiary), there is no place to post reviews. If you read a book of mine and like it – or don’t, either way – feel free to post a brief comment on social media; you can tag me if the comment appears on Facebook or Bluesky. Or you can drop me a line at danakingcrime@gmail.com. I promise to get back to you.

Below are all the books available, in order by series.

The Nick Forte Private Eye Novels

A Small Sacrifice. Forte is asked to look into a cold case. Very loosely based on the Jon-Benet Ramsey murder. Shamus Award nominee for Best Indy PI Novel.

The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of. Forte is hired to protect a ham actor, who is then murdered. My tribute to The Maltese Falcon.

The Man in the Window. The most music-oriented of the books, as Forte investigates the murder of a member of the Chicago Symphony. Nominated for a Shamus Award for Best Paperback Original.

A Dangerous Lesson. Forte is drawn into a serial killer investigation.

Bad Samaritan. Forte is inadvertently involved with toxic men’s rights activists.

Off the Books. Forte stumbles onto a human trafficking ring while investigating a fender bender.

The Penns River Novels

Worst Enemies. Penns River rarely has two homicides in a year. Two in a week is a problem.

Grind Joint. A new low-end casino that is supposed to provide economic growth causes more problems than it solves.

Resurrection Mall. A religious-themed shopping center becomes a focal point in a drug war.

Ten-Seven. A seemingly random shooting in the casino parking lot leads to unexpected problems.

Pushing Water. A mass shooting is not as clear-cut as it appears.

Leaving the Scene. A hit-and-run defies solution, as a changing of the guard and competing priorities distract the police.

White Out. A Black officer shoots an apparently unarmed white supremacist. More than a foot of snow and a poker tournament with a million-dollar cash prize coincide with the funeral.

The Spread. A high school football betting scheme leads to murder.

Standalones

Wild Bill. A decorated FBI agent is frustrated when the investigation he thinks will be a capstone to his career is derailed by a mob war. (Not a Western.)

Dead Shot: The Memoir of Walter Ferguson, Soldier, Marshal, Bootlegger.  The “memoir” of a man who lived through, and helped to shape, both the opening and closing of the frontier. (Is a Western.)

Free e-books make great gifts for any occasion, or none. Don’t hesitate to forward the links of those you think people will like, or e-mail them the book file itself. I want folks to enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

 

Free E-Books

Starting today, all of my Kindle e-books will be free on Amazon through Sunday, June 29. Included are:

 

A Small Sacrifice. Nominated for a Shamus Award for Best Indie PI Novel, it’s the story of Chicago investigator Nick Forte, who is asked to clear the name of a man who has been publicly vilified as the murderer of his young son. Forte learns, while Doug Mitchell might not be guilty, he’s no innocent, and the circumstances place Forte and his family in jeopardy.

Grind Joint. Named by The LA Review of Books as one of the fifteen best noir reads of 2013, Grind Joint is the story of what happens in a small, economically depressed Pennsylvania town when someone gets the bright idea of solving their financial woes by building a low-roller casino. The local cops find themselves up against more than they bargained for when the Russian mob takes an interest. A Small Sacrifice’s Nick Forte plays a supporting but pivotal role.

Worst Enemies. The first of the Penns River books, the story of what can happen when someone takes the scenario of Strangers on a Train way too seriously. Detectives Ben Dougherty and Willie Grabek have to solve two murders organized by a person who is close to both victims, yet operates at some distance.

Wild Bill. A standalone tale of FBI Special Agent Willard “Wild Bill” Hickox, who’s ready to retire but wants to put the cherry on his career by bringing down Chicago’s Number One crime boss. When a gang war re-arranges all the players, Will must choose between duty, experience, and a combination of the two if he is to ride off into the sunset as planned.

I’ve been shoving the reviews of these books down your throats here for months, so that’s all I’ll say about them for the time being. Take full advantage of the free stuff while it lasts. It’s golden opportunity for anyone who might be curious about any of the books, but has been thinking, “That asshole’s not getting any of my money,” so go for it.