G. M. Ford Mystery Collection

G. M. Ford Books

Fury : A Novel by G. M. Ford

What fires the blood, freezes the heart, twists the mind and drives a person to kill?
G. M. Ford, author of the critically acclaimed Leo Waterman mystery novels, returns with a stunning tale of serial lies, corruption, and murder -- and throws an unforgettable new pair of investigators into the mad cosmopolitan mix of present-day Seattle.
Frank Corso is a difficult man. A defrocked journalist vilified for allegedly making up "facts" on a major crime story while working for the sacrosanct New York Times, he now lives in virtual seclusion on a boat moored on the opposite end of the country -- surviving on the substantial royalties from a bestselling book and on his pay for the occasional column in a local tabloid, the Seattle Sun. Yet it's Corso whom the slow and sheltered Leanne Samples asks for when she walks into the Sun offices and announces that her courtroom testimony, which put Walter Leroy Himes on Death Row, was a lie.
Several years earlier, eight Seattle women were slain over the course of eighty days, their bodies carefully displayed in Dumpsters throughout the city by a maniac whom the press dubbed "the Trashman." Leanne Samples would have been victim number nine, she claimed at the time, had she not barely escaped from the clutches of Walter Himes, a large, unwashed, prime sociopathic example of wasted humanity Now Himes is only six days away from execution and everyone wants him dead: the victims' families, the police, the general populace ... even the mayor himself. And Himes will die, unless Frank Corso can quickly change a public opinion that the public does not want changed.
But this death train may be impossible for Corso to derail, even with the able assistance of photographer Meg Dougherty. Despite Leanne's shocking confession, the authorities seem unusually keen on having Himes disposed of permanently. And highly situated members of the Seattle PD refuse to consider requesting a stay of execution -- even in the face of the most startling evidence of all: a brutal new murder that bears the Trashman's unmistakable signature.
With the clock relentlessly ticking down to Lethal Injection Day, Corso and Dougherty have suddenly made powerful, perhaps deadly, new enemies by getting themselves deeply into something that goes far beyond right, wrong, truth, and justice. And the key to a case that again threatens to devastate a city now ties in a hastily scrawled "tag" on an alley wall: the first three spray-painted letters of one angry word ... Fury.

The Deader the Better : A Leo Waterman Mystery by G. M. Ford

Seattle p.i. Leo Waterman isn't looking for trouble when he and his forensic pathologist girlfriend Rebecca escape into the Washington wilder for a few days of relaxation -- it just seems to find him. An old friend has purchased some choice property here in North America's only rain forest and his posting of "No Trespassing" signs has incurred the wrath of every sportsman for miles around. But what starts as irksome harassment by the offended locals soon escalates into the real of the lethal. And it's just Waterman's luck to be in the epicenter of this murderous mess at the very moment it bursts into flames.

Cast in Stone : A Leo Waterman Mystery by G. M. Ford

In the wild days of Leo Waterman's youth, Henry "Heck" Sundstrom was a god. But things haven't been going great lately for the p.i.'s burly ex-hero. First came the honeymoon boating accident that killed Heck's son and new daughter-in-law, Allison. And now the big man himself is dying--struck down by a runaway truck at an ungodly hour in a section of Seattle where no decent citizen should be caught dead.

But Waterman's not so sure Allison went down with the ship. And if his motley, aging legmen, "the Boys," can gather the facts, perhaps he can prove it--following the lead to the Midwest and a missing million dollars. . .and maybe to a "black widow" who may be less "late" and more lethal than anyone ever suspected.

The Bum's Rush : A Leo Waterman Mystery by G. M. Ford

Amazon.com
Seattle's own Leo Waterman is back--along with the very motley crew of once and future alcoholics like Nearly Normal Norman who help him with his investigations. While looking for a missing member of the group, Leo and Co. stop a rape and get involved in the overdose death of a famous Seattle musician who might remind you of recent headlines. As in his two previous books in the Waterman series, Who in Hell is Wanda Fuca? and Cast in Stone, both available in softcover, G. M. Ford writes pungent, hilarious dialogue and manages to make us care about the lives of people we walk past on the street every day.

Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca? : A Leo Waterman Mystery by G. M. Ford

Soft-hearted and rebellious investigator Leo Waterman is hired to locate an errant mob heiress who has stumbled onto a toxic hazard that threatens to poison Waterman unless he can clear the air.

Slow Burn by G. M. Ford

Anticipating disaster, a prestigious global restaurant convention hires Leo as Special Security Officer. His assignment: monitor the movements of two adversarial steakhouse competitors whose "beef" has previously made for some nasty confrontations and a food critic who's caught in between the warring factions. But soon, Leo finds himself served up as the prime suspect in a murder, and both his life and career are at stake.

Last Ditch by G. M. Ford

Amazon.com
G.M. Ford's fifth book about Seattle private detective Leo Waterman begins with a backyard jolt: the Boys (a group of ancient alcoholics who Leo looks after) dig up the 30-year-old remains of a gay-bashing right-wing newspaper columnist named Peerless Price while doing some work on the grounds of the mansion belonging to Leo's late father, politician Wild Bill Waterman.
It looks very much as though Wild Bill did indeed shoot and bury his arch enemy. And precisely because both a starchy relative and the entire Seattle PD warn him against it, Leo proceeds to risk life, limb, and his ancient Fiat convertible to prove his father's innocence. What he finds out--from Wild Bill's old driver, an ex-cop called Bermuda Schwartz, and other assorted ghosts from the past--provides a wild and often touching story that combines recent headlines (about the smuggling of Chinese immigrants) with moments of personal pain. That same combination is present in Ford's other books about Waterman: Slow Burn, Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca?, The Bum's Rush, and Cast in Stone.

The Deader the Better: Leo Waterman Mystery by G. M. Ford

Leo isn't looking for trouble when he and Rebecca escape into the wilderness for a few days of isolation and relaxation -- it just seems to find him. An old friend has purchased some choice property in North America's only rainforest, and his posting of No Trespassing signs has incurred the wrath of every boater, hunter, and fisherman for miles around. What starts as irksome harassment by the offended locals -- evil looks and random acts of vandalism -- escalates quite quickly, however, into the realm of the lethal. And it's just Waterman's luck to be in the epicenter of this murderous mess at the very moment it bursts into flames.

When an ever-increasing body count is met with bland indifference by the local authorities, Leo realizes it's time to summon together a ragtag surveillance team from all walks of his life. And with a little help from his "residentially challenged" legmen -- those "Boys" back in Seattle -- Leo's determined to staunch the flow of blood that's despoiling an unspoiled land...while getting to the twisted roots of a homicidal greed that now has his whole motley crew marked for death.

If you've never met Leo Waterman, or wandered into his world, start right here. If you've previously experienced the tense and terrific fun of G. M. Ford, hang on and enjoy -- because the boys are back in town!

OxfordBooks.com / Oxford, MS

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