Praise for South Phoenix Rules…

A haunting noir story vividly rendered by Talton’s white-hot prose.

-New York Journal of Books

A handsome young New York professor visiting Phoenix to research his new book is brutally murdered. Historian-turned-sheriff’s deputy David Mapstone should not be investigating Jax Delgado’s death. But Jax has been dating David’s sister-in-law Robin, and now she’s someone’s target, too. Robin’s sister Lindsey, strangely distant while working with an anti-cyber terror unit in DC, makes one demand of husband David: protect Robin. City police are suspicious of Robin’s role and are trying to pressure her. The Sheriff’s Office is in turmoil since Mike Peralta lost reelection, making David even more of an outsider as he is set to give up his badge. And the gangsters are able to outgun and outspend law enforcement. To save Robin, David must leave his stack of historic crimes and plunge into the modern world of smuggling-people, drugs, and guns. There are places in the Valley of the Sun that tourists never see….

Jon Talton is the author of nine novels, including the David Mapstone mysteries, the Cincinnati Casebook mysteries, and the thriller Deadline Man. A veteran journalist and former business editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer, he lives in Washington state where he is economics columnist for The Seattle Times and runs the blog Rogue Columnist. www.jontalton.com