Stephen Mertz's previous novels have won high praise. Booklist called The Korean Intercept "an adrenaline rush" and Nightwind "fast-paced [with] chills and thrills." Says Joe R. Lansdale: "Stephen Mertz writes a hard-edged, fast-paced thriller for those who like their tales straight and sharp." And of this new novel, which takes the crime novel into the world of country music and the blues, top-selling author Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition) declares: "A terrific novel! One of my favorite writers . . . a born storyteller." Stephen Mertz lives in Arizona.