Eli Cranor

'Eli Cranor is that rare writer who can make you gasp, cry and cheer often in the same paragraph' S. A. COSBY Special Agent Rae Johnson grew up on football fields alongside her father, a national-championship-winning coach. Which is exactly why she was chosen to investigate the illicit money flowing into the University of Central Mississippi's football program. But her case takes a dire turn when UCM's star quarterback is flung off a college bar's roof and lands on a bag full of money. Hoping to turn a routine fraud case into a career-defining bust, Rae ingratiates herself with the fans, coaches, players, and politicians who make up the university's complex social hierarchy. With rumors of corruption rustling through the kudzu vines, Rae soon realizes there's more to the game than what she'd learned as a child. And in order to win, she'll have to put all her father's lessons to the ultimate test. Praise for Eli Cranor: 'A gritty, authentic triumph, one howling to be turned into a film or TV series' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Atmospheric and tense thriller that has TV series written all over it' THE SUN 'Southern noir at its finest, a cauldron of terrible choices and even more terrible outcomes' NEW YORK TIMES 'Cranor's characters bristle with desperation and frustrated masculinity, a volatile cauldron of emotion that brings tension to every page' STEPH CHA 'Not to be missed.' MEGAN ABBOTT 'A major work from a bright, young talent' USA TODAY

Former quarterback turned Edgar-winning author Eli Cranor throws a glorious game winner in this series debut starring a rookie FBI agent who finds herself caught in the tangled web of a college football empire--and the bloody greed that fuels it. "Former college quarterback Eli Cranor scores big with Mississippi Blue 42, a fun, provocative crime novel that takes aim at the heart of the American game."--Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of An Honest Man Special Agent Rae Johnson grew up on football fields alongside her father, a national-championship-winning coach. Which is exactly why, fresh out of Quantico, she's sent down to Compson, Mississippi, to investigate the illicit money flowing into a bustling football program in the heart of the Delta. But two days into the assignment things take a dire turn when UCM's star quarterback is flung from the roof of a college bar, lands on a bag of money, and dies. Hoping to turn a routine fraud case into a career-defining bust, Rae ingratiates herself with the fans, coaches, players, and politicians who make up the university's complex social hierarchy. With rumors of corruption rustling through the kudzu vines, Rae soon realizes there's more to the game than what she'd learned as a child. And in order to win, she'll have to put all her father's lessons to the ultimate test. In the vein of Carl Hiaasen and Sue Grafton, Mississippi Blue 42 takes a hard and often hilarious look at the big-money world of college athletics. In Cranor's capable hands, football isn't just a game, it's a front-row seat to the great American show.

The troubles of two desperate families--one white, one Mexican American--converge in the ruthless underworld of an Arkansas chicken processing plant in this new thriller from the award-winning author of DON'T KNOW TOUGH Gabriela Menchaca and Edwin Saucedo are hardworking, undocumented employees at the Detmer Foods chicken plant in Springdale, Arkansas, just a stone's throw away from the trailer park where they've lived together for seven years. While dealing with personal tragedies of their own, the young couple endures the brutal, dehumanizing conditions at the plant in exchange for barebones pay. When the plant manager, Luke Jackson, fires Edwin to set an example for the rest of the workers--and to show the higher-ups that he's ready for a major promotion--Edwin is determined to get revenge on Luke and his wife, Mimi, a new mother who stays at home with her six-month-old son. Edwin's impulsive action sets in motion a devastating chain of events that illuminates the deeply entrenched power dynamics between those who revel at the top and those who toil at the bottom. From the nationally bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of Don't Know Tough and Ozark Dogs comes another edge-of-your-seat noir thriller that exposes the dark, bloody heart of life on the margins in the American South and the bleak underside of a bygone American Dream.

***THE GUARDIAN BEST CRIME AND THRILLERS OF 2023***THE TIMES BEST THRILLERS OF THE MONTH*** ***MAIL ON SUNDAY BEST NEW FICTION***FINANCIAL TIMES BEST NEW THRILLERS***'Powerful' THE GUARDIAN 'A gritty, authentic triumph, one howling to be turned into a film or TV series' FINANCIAL TIMES'Atmospheric and tense thriller that has TV series written all over it.' THE SUN'Eli Cranor is that rare writer who can make you gasp, cry and cheer often in the same paragraph' S. A. COSBYAfter his son is convicted of murder, Vietnam War veteran Jeremiah Fitzjurls takes over the care of his granddaughter, Joanna, raising her with as much warmth as can be found in an Ozark junkyard outfitted to be an armory.He teaches her how to shoot and fight, but there is not enough training in the world to protect her when the dreaded Ledfords, notorious meth dealers and fanatical white supremacists, come to collect on Joanna as payment for a long-overdue blood debt.Headed by rancorous patriarch Bunn and smooth-talking, erudite Evail, the Ledfords have never forgotten what the Fitzjurls family did to them, and they will not be satisfied until they have taken an eye for an eye. As they seek revenge, and as Jeremiah desperately searches for his granddaughter, their narratives collide in this immersive story about family and how far some will go to honor, defend-or in some cases, destroy it.'Ozark Dogs tunnels into your brain with feverish power... thrillingly told, deeply wrenching, not to be missed.' MEGAN ABBOTTPraise for Eli Cranor:'Southern noir at its finest, a cauldron of terrible choices and even more terrible outcomes . . . one of the best debuts of 2022' NEW YORK TIMES'A gripping novel about rage and trauma, redemption and damnation,. . . Cranor's characters bristle with desperation and frustrated masculinity, a volatile cauldron of emotion that brings tension to every page' STEPH CHA'A major work from a bright, young talent' USA TODAY

In this stunning thriller inspired by a chilling true story, two families grapple with the aftermath of a murder in their small Arkansas town. The perfect read for fans of S. A. Cosby, James Lee Burke and Attica Locke.

Friday Night Lights gone dark with Southern Gothic; Eli Cranor delivers a powerful noir that will appeal to fans of Wiley Cash and Megan Abbott. In Denton, Arkansas, the fate of the high school football team rests on the shoulders of Billy Lowe, a volatile but talented running back. Billy comes from an extremely troubled home: a trailer park where he is terrorized by his mother's abusive boyfriend. Billy takes out his anger on the field, but when his savagery crosses a line, he faces suspension. Without Billy Lowe, the Denton Pirates can kiss their playoff bid goodbye. But the head coach, Trent Powers, who just moved from California with his wife and two children for this job, has more than just his paycheck riding on Billy's bad behavior. As a born-again Christian, Trent feels a divine calling to save Billy--save him from his circumstances, and save his soul. Then Billy's abuser is found murdered in the Lowe family trailer, and all evidence points toward Billy. Now nothing can stop an explosive chain of violence that could tear the whole town apart on the eve of the playoffs. WINNER OF THE PETER LOVESEY FIRST CRIME NOVEL CONTEST

'A searing and stunningly poignant study in what makes us and what breaks us' S. A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author of Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland'A gripping novel about rage and trauma, redemption and damnation, football and family' Steph ChaFriday Night Lights with a Southern Gothic twist - a powerful debut noir for fans of S. A. Cosby and Megan Abbott.In Denton, Arkansas, the fate of the high school football team rests on the shoulders of Billy Lowe, a volatile but talented running back. Billy comes from an extremely troubled home: a trailer park where he is terrorized by his unstable mother's abusive boyfriend. Billy takes out his anger on the field, but when his savagery crosses a line, he faces suspension.Without Billy Lowe, the Denton Pirates can kiss their playoff bid goodbye. But the head coach, Trent Powers, who just moved from California with his wife and two children for this job, has more than just his paycheck riding on Billy's bad behavior. As a born-again Christian, Trent feels a divine calling to save Billy-save him from his circumstances, and save his soul.Then Billy's abuser is found murdered in the Lowe family trailer, and all evidence points toward Billy. Now nothing can stop an explosive chain of violence that could tear the whole town apart on the eve of the playoffs.WINNER OF THE PETER LOVESEY FIRST CRIME NOVEL CONTEST A USA Today Best Book of the Year (So Far)An Amazon Editor's PickCrimeReads Most Anticipated Books of 2022New York Post Top Reads for the Week'Southern noir at its finest, a cauldron of terrible choices and even more terrible outcomes' The New York Times Book Review