Fifty-to-One

September 1, 2008
High-speed action and nonstop thrills highlight the 50th novel from Hard Case Crime, penned by publisher and Edgar-winning writer Ardai (The Good-Neighbor Policy
). Smalltown girl Trixie becomes a dancer in a New York nightclub in the 1950s and decides to write about the dirty side of the business. When her tell-all becomes a sensation, mob boss Sal Nicolazzo threatens the publisher, demanding to know who committed the heist chronicled in the book. Trixie's fiction is mirrored by fact, and $3 million of mobster money is missing. With time running out and lives on the line, Trixie races to discover the truth. Ardai sets an impressive standard for the new wave of pulp crime fiction. With good girls, bad girls, mob kings and grifters, suspense is guaranteed, though astute readers may see through the twists. Breathless action and entertaining characters make this a page-turner from start to finish.