Paperback edition now in stores !
Sam Reaves's MEAN TOWN BLUES

Tommy McLain's a Kentucky boy just back from a rough tour in Iraq, trying to make a go of civilian life in Chicago. He's a good friend to have if you're a young woman being stalked by a creep with some heavy connections-- but Chicago may not be ready for the skills and reactions Tommy brought home from the war. Look for the trade paper edition from Pegasus in January, 2010.

Check out these reviews of Mean Town Blues:

Reviewing the Evidence

Chicago Sun-Times

"MEAN TOWN BLUES had me riveted from page one. Lean and relentless, it's the work of a true veteran. If you like Jack Reacher, you'll love Tommy McClain."
Marcus Sakey, author of THE BLADE ITSELF

"Sam Reaves's Mean Town Blues - what a good writer Reaves is! Here he takes a classic noir tale, the kind that aches with nihilistic fatalism, but his hero apparently took a look at the script and decided not to play along. Instead, Tommy McClain, born in Kentucky and tempered in Iraq, steers his course through the mess, calculating the odds, doing the honorable thing, and always - barely - staying a step ahead of the game."
Barbara Fister, author of IN THE WIND

"Sam Reaves is one of Chicago's top crime writers, and one of my favorites anywhere. With lean prose and palpable urgency, MEAN TOWN BLUES grabs you by the throat from page one. I couldn't put it down."
Sean Chercover, author of TRIGGER CITY

"Mean Town Blues is a taut, fast-moving, and utterly satisfying thriller. In Iraq veteran Thomas McLain, Reaves has created a memorable hero, as if Jack Reacher had been born a self-described 'cracker' and was darn proud of it."
Alafair Burke, author of ANGEL'S TIP

"MEAN TOWN BLUES is a shotgun blast of action, betrayal and moral ambiguity, set in Chicago's gangland. The writing is tight, economical and urgent; the characters are fully-fleshed and as fallible as Eve. Author Sam Reaves never takes his finger off the trigger: just when you think you've got it all figured out, he jacks in another load and lets the bullets fly. All I know is that I want Sam Reaves and his protagonist, Tommy McLain, on my side in a fight."

Louise Ure, Shamus Award-winning author of THE FAULT TREE

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HOMICIDE 69
published by Carroll and Graf

The Summer of 1969:
Apollo 11, Woodstock.
Vietnam, Chappaquiddick, the Manson murders.
Brian Jones drowned and Joe Namath quit.
The Cubs were riding high and the Mets were playing over their heads.

And a Chicago homicide dick was working the case of his life...

"Homicide 69 is broad-shouldered and ambitious, the big Chicago crime novel we've been waiting for.  A remarkable piece of work from Sam Reaves."
George Pelecanos

It's the summer of 1969, and veteran Chicago homicide detective Mike Dooley is investigating the brutal torture-murder of a young woman. The victim is a former Playboy bunny and mobster's girlfriend. Dooley suspects this is more than a sex killing, which leads him into the deep waters of mob intrigue and political corruption.

Homicide 69 is a gripping novel about a man, his family, and his times: As Dooley, whose own youth was sacrificed in the Pacific in World War II, scans the news for hopeful portents regarding his son Kevin, a Marine in the thick of the fighting in Vietnam, he sees the world changing before his eyes. The moon landing, Woodstock, the Manson murders, and riots in the streets provide a backdrop for the personal and professional crises precipitated by Dooley's stubborn refusal to give up on a crime nobody but him wants solved.

"This is the best journey into a cop's life I've read in  a long time.  Homicide 69 is so real you'll swear you've got a ringside seat inside the soul of the Chicago PD.  The pace is heart-pounding, the story is heart-rending.  Absolutely wonderful."
Ed Dee, retired NYPD Lt., author of The Con Man's Daughter

Click here for an extract
Click here to order a copy from your favorite independent mystery bookstore.

Barbara Fister chose Homicide 69 as one of her Crime Fiction Top Ten for 2007 Thanks to Barbara and check out her interesting blog, Barbara Fister's Place.

Click here to read Sam's essay for Marshal Zeringue's Page 69 Test
Click here to read Sam's essay for Marshal Zeringue's My Book, the Movie

DOOLEY'S BACK
In trade paperback from Carroll and Graf
NOW AVAILABLE

Yes, Dooley's back, Frank Dooley, that is, Mike's son and the hero of Sam Reaves's 2002 novel introducing the Dooley family. Dooley's Back has just been released in paperback by Carroll and Graf. Frank's back in town and he's got business to take care of...

Click here for an extract
Click here to order a copy from your favorite independent mystery bookstore.