Henry Malone Books

2019 SHAMUS NOMINEE FOR BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL! "James D.F. Hannah is the real deal ... (He) shows with this book he has no trouble holding his own against Robert B. Parker and Lawrence Block." — Dave Zeltserman, author of SMALL CRIMES and PARIAH Homecoming queen. Cheerleader. Heroin addict. Meadow Charles had all the promise in the world—and secrets to hide. Someone else tried to hide Meadow's secrets when they murdered her and left her body at the Parker County landfill. Five years later, the murder still reverberates through the Appalachian community. Now the man who confessed to the murder says he didn't do it, and he needs Henry Malone to prove it. "A tight, sharp story with brutal—and brutally funny—moments. Buckle up." — S.G. Redling, author of FLOWERTOWN and BAGGAGE Henry and his well-armed A.A. sponsor Woody quickly find themselves drawn into a world of money and drugs, prostitutes and corrupt business deals, and one family's dark past, plus the secrets someone's still willing to murder to keep hidden. "A wicked slice of pulpy, country noir!" — Joe Clifford, author of THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY and the Jay Porter series "Atmospheric and genuine, James Hannah's SHE TALKS TO ANGELS packs a powerful punch." — J. Carson Black, best-selling author of THE SHOP and SPECTRE BLACK "The dry dark wit, the terrible secrets that need to be unlocked, the action ... One of the best traditional PI series out there for fans of guys like Elvis Cole, Spenser, and even Dave Robicheaux." — Jochem van Der Steen, Son of Spade

A missing woman. A suitcase full of drug money. An ex-cop with nothing to lose. A roadside shooting ended both his career and his marriage and sent ex-state trooper Henry Malone back to his childhood home in Serenity, West Virginia. A request to look into the disappearance of a young mother becomes a second chance, an opportunity to redeem himself. But Malone finds the unexpected as he scratches beneath his hometown’s surface: Crooked lawyers. Meth cooks. A hair-triggered sheriff. A beautiful legal secretary. And a seductive yet deadly white supremacist. It is a dangerous mix that leads Henry and his well-armed AA sponsor, Woody, down onto a wild and deadly road. A missing-persons case becomes the struggle for both men just to stay alive.

The request is simple: help an old friend with a missing persons case. But Henry Malone should have known nothing is ever as simple as it seems. When a friend and fellow ex-state trooper comes to Serenity to see Henry Malone, it’s not just to reunite with a former colleague. Pete Calhoun—now retired and with a P.I. license—needs Henry’s help to locate Isaac Martin, a computer expert who’s vanished at the cusp of a business deal worth millions. Several lies and one dead body later, Henry is in the middle of a world of secrets, from Isaac Martin’s real identity to Pete’s motives to find the missing man. Henry and his well-armed friend and AA sponsor Woody are dragged into the realm of shadowy electronic currency, where the FBI, rival international criminal organizations, and a deadly family of marijuana farmers compete for the outcome, and Isaac is the ultimate prize.

Backed with campaign funds from the owner of the local strip club, ex-state trooper and recovering alcoholic Henry Malone’s running for sheriff. But because he can’t say no to a bad idea, he also agrees to look for a pregnant woman’s missing ex-con boyfriend. With his well-armed AA sponsor Woody in tow, Henry’s search for the boyfriend soon connects with a homicide investigation run by Lt. Jackie Hall—probably the last cop in West Virginia who still likes Henry. A violent confrontation leaves Jackie near-death and Henry determined to find justice. Except vengeance isn’t simple for Henry, especially when an old enemy appears out of nowhere, more bodies stack up, and a series of betrayals and double crosses climax with a morning assault on a farm house that pits Henry and Woody against a deadly band of criminals with nothing to lose. Critical Acclaim for Because the Night : “Henry Malone deserves to be up there with Matt Scudder and Harry Hole among our best, funniest, toughest detectives, and James D. F. Hannah is among our best chroniclers of America’s sketchy underside.” —Nick Kolakowski, author of Love & Bullets and Boise Longpig Hunting Club “James D.F. Hannah delivers another dose of heart, humor, and haymakers to the Henry Malone series with Because the Night , leaving us clawing at the pages, and proving why he’s one of the best writers working today.” —Eryk Pruitt, author of Something Bad Wrong “Private eye Henry Malone is a worthy descendant of both Robert B. Parker’s Spenser and Elmore Leonard’s Raylan Givens, and he carries on the family tradition in style in Because the Night . James D.F. Hannah delivers a backwoods barroom brawl of a novel that will leave you bloodied and ready for more.” —Scott Von Doviak, author of Lowdown Road and Charlesgate Confidential “James D.F. Hannah solidified himself among the greats of mystery fiction long ago. With Because the Night he sets himself apart. It’s a well written page turner reminiscent of Dave Robicheaux but has a smart-assery that will keep you laughing.” —Mark Westmoreland, author of A Violent Gospel and A Mourning Song “Quick-witted and light on its feet. If Ace Atkins and Chris Offutt had a child it would be James D.F. Hannah.” —Colin Campbell, acclaimed author of the Jim Grant thrillers “Hannah is the redneck Raymond Chandler. He needs to clear room on the shelf where he keeps his Shamus awards if this is the level he intends to maintain.” —Dana King, two time Shamus Award nominee for his Nick Forte Novels, and author of the Penns River series “Brilliantly violent, some of that violence internal, the story blasts its way to a climax that destroys multiple lives, one riveting page after another.” —Rob Pierce, author of Snake Slayer and The Uncle Dust Trilogy “Henry Malone’s beat is the dark country roads, literally and metaphorically, of rural West Virginia. Hannah’s plot is gripping and fast paced. His prose evokes Chandler and Parker. He honors the private eye genre by expanding its frontier and creating an unforgettable detective you will want to follow down the darkest of country roads.” —Mark Troy, author of Splintered Loyalty , an Ava Rome mystery “In Because the Night , James Hannah has brewed the perfect pot of West Virginia action, humor, sarcasm, lust, violence, and rat-a-tat dialogue. His colorful characters pop off the page, so thank goodness Henry Malone is back, because someone’s gotta protect and suffer for the sins of the rest of us.” —Charles Salzberg, multiple Shamus Award-nominated author