Rolling Thunder

April 1, 2020

Pro wrestler-turned-PI "Hammerhead" Jed Ounstead thinks his second case will be easy. Stephanie Danielson was a suspect in Jed's first investigation, the murder of his former tag team partner. Now, she's skating as Stormy Daze, and she and her roller derby teammates want to find their missing coach. It's not as easy as it looks. The missing man's bookie can be found at the track with his champion racing dachshund, but every time Jed needs a connection, bookie Sykes has an errand for him first. Jed's case takes him from the track to a kinky sex club, to a casino, and into the orbit of a bizarre talk show host. His search also leads to the murder of the roller derby coach. Although the police are investigating, Jed's out for revenge. He tag-teams with his cousin Declan, IRA member-turned-bartender, to find a killer and save women's roller derby in this violent, action-packed mystery. VERDICT The follow-up to the Arthur Ellis Award-winning Cobra Clutch is another action-packed violent mystery. Declan's ribald comments are not for everyone, but readers of the first book will enjoy the humor and outrageous antics.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

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April 1, 2020
A pro wrestler-turned-sleuth finds a whole new world of crazy when he tries to track down a missing roller derby coach. After solving the mystery of the missing python in Cobra Clutch (2018), former pro wrestler "Hammerhead" Jed Ounstead is feeling his detective oats and anxious to log enough hours for a private investigator's license. So it's the perfect time for him to hear from his old wrestling pal Stormy Daze, reborn as roller derby team captain Amazombie. She and teammate Jabba the Slut are concerned that, as they head into the league playoffs, their coach, Lawrence Kunstlinger, rumored to be burdened by heavy gambling debts, has gone missing. When Jed visits Lawrence's apartment, his neighbor Troy Whitlock confirms that the man liked to bet on sports but not excessively. There are signs of a break-in, and Lawrence's valuable Siamese fighting fish, Carlos, is missing. Jed enlists the help of his ex-IRA cousin, Declan St. James, who proves an overeager sidekick. His probe takes him to Hastings Racecourse and the Graf Zeppelin, a kinky club where Declan gets a little too frisky. When Sykes, a shady character who's training dachshunds to race, slips Jed the number of Lawrence's burner phone, Jed wants to proceed cautiously, but Declan jumps the gun and calls it. It takes almost a week for Jed to straighten this out and arrange a rendezvous with Lawrence at a local bar called the Lamplighter Public House. The meeting goes horribly awry, complicating the case for Jed and involving the police. What would Sam Spade do? Devlin's comic caper has a goofy charm and action aplenty.

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