Joseph Michael Ballista - "Joey Ballistic" to his mob buddies - knows most of the ways to make an illegal buck, and he's in trouble again. But his crafty lawyer is determined to free him by getting all his previous convictions set aside, beginning with one for attempted murder. She hires Detroit private detective Amos Walker to investigate the old crime. Walker's first problem? The intended victim was Barry Stackpole, his only true friend.

"The monkey in the middle is the one who "hears no evil." Private eye Amos Walker doesn't have that luxury. Hearing the truth, on the other hand, is a lot less common, even from people who need his help. It's summer in Detroit and Walker's just received word that his ex-wife has passed away. He can use a distraction, which arrives in the form of a young, would-be investigative journalist who has gotten in way over his head. He needs Walker's protection,...

A newscaster's son disappears, and Amos Walker dives into the depths of Detroit to rescue the boy On screen, Sandy Broderick is everything a newscaster is supposed to be. He has a deep voice, a ten-thousand-watt smile, and the God-given ability to banter with weathermen until his ears fall off. But when the cameras turn off, he has a private problem: His twenty-year old son, Bud, has disappeared. Amos Walker is going to find him.   The boy and his...

In this installment of Loren Estleman's signature PI series, Amos Walker, the quintessential hard-boiled detective, proves that he's mortal after all. Jeff Starzek, an old friend who smuggles cigarettes for a living, saves Walker's life, getting him to the hospital after he's taken a bullet in the leg. A month later, still convalescing, Walker gets a panicked phone call from Starzek's sister. Jeff is missing. One of the few leads is a Homeland Security...

Targeted by suspicious fires and bottle bombs for attempting to extract a relative from a Mexican town gang, Amos Walker struggles to forge peace between two rival gangs only to discover ties to an international conspiracy.