Fields Where They Lay

A Kirkus Best Book of 2016
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2016
A BookPage Top Pick for December
A Kittling Books Top 10 Mystery Series

"Burglar Junior Bender may just be our favorite literary P.I."
--Entertainment Weekly

"West Coast fun for the noir at heart."
--Sunday Times, "Best Christmas Mysteries of 2016"

"Slick sleuthing, a touching romance and several good laughs."
--Toronto Star

"Comparisons to Raymond Chandler and Donald Westlake are totally deserved and should give you a clue as to whether you'll like this book as much as I did."
--Raleigh News & Observer

"Wickedly funny . . . Somewhere amid all this suspense and uncertainty lies the true meaning of Christmas, assuming that Junior can stay alive long enough to see it."
--BookPage, Top Pick for December

"A plum pudding stuffed with cynical disillusionment, organized and disorganized crime, two Santas, a seasonal miracle, and an ending that earns every bit of its uplift."
--Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Hallinan deserves to win an Edgar for his ingeniously plotted, often hilarious sixth Junior Bender novel."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Nobody does comic mystery with an edge better than Hallinan."
--BookList, Starred Review

"Everything readers could want."
--Library Journal, Starred Review

"I had never read [Hallinan], and don't know why I decided to read this Junior Bender--in May. Out of season. But I am so glad I did--Junior is quite the find."
--Marilyn Dahl, Shelf-Awareness

"Once again, Timothy Hallinan has given us a book to cheer, and a character to cheer for, but this outing is like a sweet little holiday story... with dead bodies, live crooks, and a wartime reminiscence that's both heartwarming and terrifying."
--Schuler Books (Michigan)

"It's hard to top Hallinan's Junior Bender, the Los Angeles 'Thief of Thieves'."
--BookBub

"My new favorite Christmas crime novel."
--Bill Crider, Poisoned Pen Bookstore Blog

"A must-read for all seasons."
--BookReporter.com

"Highly recommended."
--Gumshoe Review

"A+"
--Kittling Books

"Even if you hate the holidays with reasons just as good as Junior's--or especially if you do--this book is still the best gift you can give to yourself."
--Kingdom Books

"Masterful."
--Stop You're Killing Me!

"What a Christmas story would look like if Raymond Chandler wrote it."
--Deadly Diversions

"Hallinan has skillfully managed to write a story that manages both the cynical and hopeful sides of Christmas. It's a good mix that Hallinan mines for its humorous promise--fighting off a gunman with the help of tinsel, anyone?--yet recognizes the humanity that is at the center of the holiday, even for someone as immune to warm fuzzies as a professional thief."
--Madison Public Library

"Do your friends a favor this Christmas--turn them on to Junior Bender."
--BookChase

Praise for the nationally bestselling Junior Bender mysteries

"Plenty funny and packed with colorful characters."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Run right out and get this book. It's just fabulous."
--NPR, Morning Edition

"Dangerously outrageous."
--Associated Press

"Smart, refreshing and never dull, Hallinan's vibrant King Maybe sees an author at the top of his game and a series in full, magnificent swing."
--Los Angeles Review of Books

"A smart, cynical mystery . . . The best burglar in Los Angeles."
--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"[Hallinan] proudly carries the banner of the late Donald Westlake, whose books are the gold standard of antic capers. The result--lucky us--is a hoot and a half."
--The Seattle Times

"A modern-day successor to Raymond Chandler."
--Los Angeles Daily News