Hump's First Case (Hardman)

The tenth unforgettable novel in the legendary crime series It's a bitter, cold night in Atlanta. Ex-cop Jim Hardman walks in on a convenience robbery committed by a youmg woman and two men that leaves an innocent clerk dead. It's an ugly experience Hardman can't shake...and it gets worse when the parents of the female felon want to hire him to find their fugitive daughter before the cops do. Hardman wants nothing to do with the job. But his sometime partner Hump Evans is bored and short on cash... and takes the case. Soon Hump is pursued by a chain-wielding gang of racist bikers and mired in a seedy underworld of drugs, prostitution, and senseless violence that even the tough, ex-NFL player can't handle alone... "Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared." Mystery Scene Magazine "Dennis may not have made literature of Hardman, but he damn sure touched on it more than a time or two." Joe R. Lansdale, New York Times bestselling author "A lightning-paced crime story packed with irreverence and loads of action." Publishers Weekly "Tough, gritty and funny. The Hardman novels stack up against the best PI fiction. Ever." The Fine Art of Murder "Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment." The New York Times This new edition includes an afterword by Mel Odom, the award-winning author of The Rover