Frank Zafiro

One last mission. One impossible choice. One chance at redemption. For years, Sandy Banks has been the government's most dangerous secret-a former soldier and vigilante turned unwilling assassin in a covert program that doesn't exist. Every mission is kill or be killed. Every witness must be silenced. And there's no way out. But Sandy is done. His body is failing, his conscience is drowning, and he wants to retire. When an operation against a cartel lieutenant goes sideways, Sandy makes a choice that shatters protocol-and puts him in the crosshairs of both his enemies and his own handlers. Caught between the ghosts of his past and the brutal demands of the present, Sandy has to decide: is redemption still possible, or will his story end in blood? Book #3 in the Sandy Banks Thriller Series

Every city has secrets. Some are evil.A killer stalks Spokane, Washington, with his history of victims stretching back fifty years. It seems an unlikely truth, but Major Crimes Detective Wardell Clint is driven to prove it. After discovering tenuous links between many unsolved murders, Clint develops a theory which forces him deeper into the past.He must wade through generations of cops, witnesses, and survivors to discover a truth hidden behind privilege and cover-ups. His improbable guide on this journey-retired Police Chief Robert Baumgartner-may be his greatest ally or most dangerous opponent.No matter how long it takes, Clint won't give up. His job-his duty-is to speak for the dead.And they've been silent for too long.

"Will you find my sister?"Those words send Stefan Kopriva, the former cop-turned-investigator, down a frustrating and baffling path after Laura Shelton. Is she running from an embezzlement charge? Or hiding from an abusive husband? People are talking but nothing they say is getting Kopriva closer to the truth.Who is the real Laura? Kind and caring? Desperate and guilt-ridden? Or was she ruthless and opportunistic? Kopriva won't know until he finds her.If she's still alive.

River City is plagued by a serial rapist. His attacks are becoming more brutal. Detective John Tower is sure that he'll go from rape to murder if he isn't stopped soon. When a series of mis-steps and near misses push the rapist even further, everyone involved -- Tower, Officer Katie MacLeod and Officer Thomas Chisolm -- must face their old fears...or be destroyed by them.Set in 1996.

A violent robber is loose in River City. Meet the cops that must take him down.Stefan Kopriva, a young hotshot. Katie MacLeod, a woman in what is still mostly a man's world. Karl Winter, about to retire but with one more good bust left in him. And Thomas Chisolm, a former Green Beret who knows how dangerous a man like the Scarface Robber can be.These are the patrol officers of River City - that mythical thin blue line between society and anarchy. They must stop the robber, all the while juggling divorces, love affairs, internal politics, a hostile media, vengeful gang members and a civilian population that isn't always understanding or even grateful.Written by a real cop with real experience, Under a Raging Moon is like a paperback ride-along. Enjoy the ride.

Long time grifters Sam and Rachel love two things: each other and the grift. On the run from the mob, the two lovers move from one con to the next, winning some and losing others, but always finding a way to survive. Episodes 26-28 of Season Four begin with Ghost Image by Kat Richardson. In an eerie lodge in the Pacific Northwest, Rachel poses as a medium with Sam as her technician, as the pair target the wealthy Axel Strauss. Strauss has some deep secrets of his own that are dangerously close to spilling over and the "supernatural" events that Rachel and Sam must manage for him only heightens the tension. Old and new betrayals, longstanding alliances, and unspoken agendas all come to a head as the snow flies, trapping everyone at the lodge. Can Rachel and Sam manage to con an angry skeptic and escape with the money? Or will their efforts fall short, adding their ghosts to the ones supposedly haunting this ancient location? Paul J. Garth penned Episode 27, The Low White Plain. Terrified and on the run after a disastrous con in Dallas, grifters Sam and Rachel find themselves trapped by a blizzard in Nebraska. Low on cash and nerve, they find a local job that seems easy enough: orchestrate the fake kidnapping of a down-and-out academic, then split the ransom with the "victim." But underneath all that open space, malice and hate breed quickly. Sam and Rachel soon discover everyone is lying, and that this simple job is a lot more complicated-and dangerous-than either of them expected. The duo can only rely on their skills, and each other, or see their own blood spread atop the constantly falling snow. Episode 28, Dangerous to Know, closes out Season Four in spectacular fashion. Hilary Davidson takes us into the world of fake artifacts and their collectors. Rachel poses as a museum curator while Sam takes on the role of rogue archaeologist, targeting Robert and Evie Malvern, a wealthy couple who are known to quietly collect ancient artifacts via illicit means. But the grift hits a snag immediately when Robert Malvern turns the tables on them at gunpoint. The threat of death or prison is very real but he offers them a way out: if Rachel will pose as his missing wife for the next few days, he will call it even. This seemingly easy task turns out to be a most dangerous one, leaving the grifters to wonder if this is the end of line.

Long time grifters Sam and Rachel love two things: each other and the grift. On the run from the mob, the two lovers move from one con to the next, winning some and losing others, but always finding a way to survive. Episodes 16-18 in Season Three begin with Rocky Mountain Lie by Michael Pool. Sam and Rachel are on the grift in Vail, Colorado, where they're working sex-crazed Texas business tycoon Dan Croft to invest in their fake marijuana edibles company. But little do they know that Denver private eye Rick Malone is also on to their mark, hired to track him down over money he stole in his own scam back in Texas. With stakes running high and temperatures running low, it's anyone's guess who will be left holding the cash when the smoke clears, and whose lives will be forever changed in the process. Carmen Jaramillo penned Episode 17, Open Up Your Heart, and introduces us to Genevieve Davidson, a budding con artist. She's a mostly-broke server at a roadside restaurant just over the Wisconsin border from Illinois, but the young and wealthy of Chicago know her as Kendra, a carefree and world-traveling trust fund baby. In a rush to impress a friend-and pick up some extra cash to pay down her own debt-she lets Sam and Rachel con her into a deal. But in a surprising turnabout of events, "Kendra" finds herself with some leverage over the couple and forces them into a con of her own making involving a corrupt alderman. Episode 18, Ride Like Hell, officially closes out Season Three. S.A. Cosby takes us into the world of thoroughbred racehorses. While exciting, this doesn't immediately sound dangerous. But when Sam and Rachel devise a lucrative con involving the breeding process, it gets that way fast.

Long time grifters Sam and Rachel love two things: each other and the grift. On the run from the mob, the two lovers move from one con to the next, winning some and losing others, but always finding a way to survive.Episodes 10-12 of Season Two begins with The Sound of Breaking Bones by Eric Beetner. In Mississippi, Sam and Rachel pose as a godly couple running an adoption service, but they quickly run afoul of a local deacon whose tendencies run more to the Old Testament than the New.Scott Eubanks penned Episode 11, Still Life with Suitcase. This debut author's work finds Sam and Rachel in Florida, working a variation of the fiddle scheme. Their targets are new money but the art involved is from an old master. The danger itself, however, is elemental.Episode 12, Down Comes the Night, officially closes out season two. Series creator and editor Frank Zafiro picks up with Sam and Rachel right where they left off in Episode 11. Deciding to face the threat of pursuing mobsters head on, the couple devises a plan to finally be free and safe. The life of a grifter, however, holds little hope of either.

It's 1988 in the once-affluent Washington Heights neighborhood of New York, and crack cocaine is king.Reinaldo Arenas is the brutal leader of the reigning Dominican gang selling the drug in that area, and Assistant District Attorney Frank Corda is the man assigned to take him down. Armed with a task force of DEA agents and NYPD detectives, Corda must negotiate the perilous world of politics, drug kingpins, and opposing police entities in his bid to rid Washington Heights of the drug scourge. Inspired by true events, and alternating between intrigue and action, Fallen City captures an iconic era in the history of New York and paints a human story on the canvas of one of its biggest challenges. This novel comes to you from the authors of The Last Collar.

A violent robber is loose in River City. Meet the cops that must take him down.Stefan Kopriva, a young hotshot. Katie MacLeod, a woman in what is still mostly a man's world. Karl Winter, about to retire but with one more good bust left in him. And Thomas Chisolm, a former Green Beret who knows how dangerous a man like the Scarface Robber can be.These are the patrol officers of River City - that mythical thin blue line between society and anarchy. They must stop the robber, all the while juggling divorces, love affairs, internal politics, a hostile media, vengeful gang members and a civilian population that isn't always understanding or even grateful.Written by a real cop with real experience, Under a Raging Moon is like a paperback ride-along. Enjoy the ride.

This collection includes the first three novels Stefan Kopriva mystery series: Waist DeepLovely, Dark, and DeepFriend of the Departed Plus BONUS CONTENT: two Stefan Kopriva short stories, "Five for Fighting and a Murder Misconduct" and "Cassie." Waist Deep: When disgraced former cop Stefan Kopriva is asked by an old high school classmate to find a runaway sixteen year old girl, he reluctantly accepts. Driven by guilt over a terrible mistake that drove him from the force more than ten years earlier, Kopriva battles old injuries, old demons and long ago memories as he unravels the mystery of the missing Kris Sinderling...and seeks his own redemption. Lovely, Dark, and Deep: A city councilman is dead of an apparent suicide. Ex-cop Stefan Kopriva finds himself drawn into the case, serving an unlikely client. Once involved, he discovers that things are not as they seem. Kopriva is quickly embroiled in dirty city politics. Along the way, he encounters pimps, prostitutes, gangsters, contractors, and the police as he tries to get to the bottom of what happened, and why. That is something no one wants, so Kopriva must risk his own freedom and his very life to find the answers, no matter how deep the corruption goes. Friend of the Departed: When defense attorney Joel Harrity asks Kopriva to look into a prospective client's guilt or innocence in the murder of her husband, he reluctantly agrees. He quickly discovers that answers to even the simplest of questions are nearly impossible to find. The deeper Kopriva digs, the more no one seems to want him to find the truth behind the death of Harrity's friend. Faced with a possible murderer that won't answer questions, a police department asking the wrong people the wrong questions, and threats of violence from an unknown source, Kopriva forges on, determined to discover the truth....even if it kills him. PRAISE FOR STEFAN KOPRIVA MYSTERIES: "A powerful tale of corruption and redemption."- Brian Triplett, independent reviewer "This book...brought Humphrey Bogart to my mind. This is his sort of story, and if there were an actor of that type around today, this book could make a confronting and probably prize-winning film...definitely worth the price of admission."- Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader Magazine "Waist Deep is a hard-hitting story of a flawed hero trying to exorcise his demons. The subject matter explores dark moral territory, it's arguably not horribly shocking compared to certain real life situations taking place today. Further, in the best hardboiled tradition, finding the truth involves unearthing the scum from beneath the veneer of respectability."- Debbi Mack, author of Identity Crisis and Least Wanted " A]nother intense and very good read that borders on the noir designation. Frank Zafiro often writes of dark things and this is another case of that and therefore the book is not a light read in any sense. It is also yet another case of why Frank Zafiro is building an incredible career and deserves to be on your reading radar."- Kevin Tipple, independent reviewer "Zafiro nails the truth like a properly thrown jab/cross combo. You won't see it coming until it smacks you in the nose."-Colin Conway, author of the 509 series "The Stefan Kopriva books are a great series. Interesting characters, a mystery that seems at the right level...not too vast. I love that things aren't tied up with a neat bow. Things don't always work out great. Sometimes it's just the best you can do at the time. I like that Kopriva gets beat up, he doesn't win every fight. He doesn't always know how to proceed in his investigations. The solutions he comes up with seem in keeping with his character. I hope for more books in this series."- Sharon McKenna, from a 5-star Ama

In this hard boiled crime novel, Frank Zafiro and Jim Wilsky team up for the third installment in the saga of Ania, the siren grifter who starred in Blood on Blood and Queen of Diamonds.John Pearse is a loss recovery agent for an insurance agency. When a set of crown jewels that his company paid out on resurface in the middle of a Russian/Polish mafia war in Chicago, Pearse is sent in to find and recover the diamonds. Standing in his ways are gangsters, grifters, and cops, but the biggest obstacle will be the sexy Ania, who has managed to stay one step of everyone else...until now.Andros Krol is muscle for the Polish mafia in Chicago, tasked by his boss to bring back more than just the diamonds. Strong and cunning, Krol is after the money Ania took, but his biggest priority is to deliver brutal justice and a final day of reckoning for Ania.Pearse and Krol are locked into a race against time and each other as they pursue the wily Ania. The circle is closing on all of them.

Book #1 in the SpoCompton SeriesJake Stankovic has been flying below the radar for years, dealing safely in stolen property crime with his two-man crew. But times are tough, so he decides to step up to the big money with a drug deal. Everything that can go wrong, does. The deal goes bad, a vengeful detective sets his sights on Jake, one of his crew might be a turncoat, and a woman from a long past affair suddenly reappears. All of this would be complicated enough on its own, but for Jake, it's even worse.The woman is the detective's ex-wife.And Jake Stankovic used to be a cop.Now Jake must face new problems and old vendettas in an all-in proposition with lives on the line. He has to find a way to get his money back, keep the girl, and beat everyone involved... At Their Own Game.

Book #2 in the Ania Series When Ania Kozak hits Vegas, she's only looking for a place to relax and lay low with her stolen cash and diamonds. But Sin City has other plans for "Annie."Cord Needham is a poker circuit champion with an eye for the ladies and a dark secret in his past. Casey Brunnell is a former baseball player fighting the cards and running up debts to a local mobster. When Annie decides to play a dangerous game with both of them, the stakes go through the roof. Everyone scrambles to beat the odds and get out of town with the money...and their lives."Fast cards and a dangerous woman equal a sizzling story " - O'Neil De Noux, author of The Long Cold and a SHAMUS and DERRINGER AWARD winner"Queen of Diamonds is the second collaboration between Frank Zafiro and Jim Wilsky and it's a partnership that runs like a well oiled machine...I've read a lot of books set in Las Vegas, but there are very few I have enjoyed more."-Chris Leek, independent reviewerWhat they're saying about the Ania saga..."Dark and nasty good." -Brad Parks, Shamus- and Nero-Award-winning author of The Girl Next Door"Blood on Blood is a straight shot of raw, fiery, undiluted noir."- JD Rhoades, author of Breaking Cover, Lawyers, Guns & Money, and the Jack Keller series"Blood on Blood grabs your attention like a shot of Belvedere and a beautiful blonde."- Al Leverone, author of The Lonely Mile"So hard-boiled I'm still sweating from the steam "- Shane Gericke, author of Torn Apart