Shifty's Boys

Mick Hardin is an Army CID officer home on leave, recovering from an IED attack, when a body is found in the centre of town. It's Barney Kissick, the local heroin dealer, and the city police see his death as an occupational hazard. But when Barney's mother, Shifty, asks Mick to take a look, it seems there's more to the killing than it appears. Mick should be rehabbing his leg, signing his divorce papers and getting out of town — and most of all, staying out of the way of his sister Linda's reelection as Sheriff — but he keeps on looking, and suddenly he's getting shot at himself.

A dark, pacy crime novel about grief and revenge, with surprises hidden below the surface, Shifty's Boys is a tour de force that confirms Chris Offutt's Mick Hardin as one of the most appealing new investigators in fiction.

'Pitch-perfect in its tone and dialogue, this is what Jack Reacher wants to be when it grows up.' — Times (Thrillers of the Year)

'Wonderfully atmospheric thriller.' — Mail on Sunday

'A delicious slice of hillbilly noir.' — Irish Times (Crime Book of the Year)

'A riveting example of Rural Noir.' — Times & Sunday Times Crime Club (Pick of the Week)

'One hopes Offutt will bring Hardin back; he is a hell of character!' — Crime Time (Book of the Month)

'More than just a murder case, it's a voyage into rural backwoods Kentucky that doesn't shirk from the darkness to be found there, and unfolds with drive, noir style and wry humour.' — Herald