The first novel in the unforgettable, ground-breaking series of crime novels by Ralph DennisIt's Atlanta, 1974. Ex-cop Jim Hardman works as an unlicensed PI, trouble-shooter and bodyguard…often partnered with his drinking buddy Hump Evans, a black, ex-NFL player who supports his playboy lifestyle by working as hired muscle.
Hardman is hired by The Man, the "Black Godfather," to investigate the murder of his white girlfriend, a college student. It’s a case that plunges Hardman and Evans into the center of a violent street war that stretches from Atlanta’s seedy back alleys to the marbled corridors of power.
This new edition includes an introduction by Joe R. Lansdale, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hap & Leonard crime novels.
Praise for the HARDMAN novels:
""Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared." Mystery Scene Magazine
"Gritty writing? Tough talk? Gripping action? Yes, yes and yes." The Daily Oklahoman
“His prose was muscular, swift and highly readable. Like Chandler and Hammett before him, Dennis was trying to do something different with what was thought of as throwaway literature.” Joe R. Lansdale, from his introduction
“Expert writing, plus good plotting and an unusual degree of sensitivity. Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment. ” The New York Times
"It's gritty, it's grounded, and it's also strong on character. The writing is a cut above and then there's the social realism, the piercing look at racism, corruption and the underbelly of the city." NB Magazine UK
“The Hardman books are by far the best of the men’s action-adventure series.” Mother Jones Magazine
"Ralph Dennis is an underappreciated master. His Hardman series is one of the finest in the P.I. genre." Robert Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America
“Among the best series books around. The dialogue is marvelously realistic.” Philadelphia Daily News
"Ralph Dennis and his Hardman series are finally getting the respect many readers and collectors feel they deserve... Hardman is not your typical PI. He is not that good looking; a bit on the pudgy side in fact. His methods are unorthodox, and he often plays both sides of the law when working a case. But these and several other genre-defying characteristics are what captures and holds our fascination with Hardman." Bookgasm
Among crime writers and collectors of hardboiled fiction, Ralph Dennis is considered a master of the genre who was denied the recognition he deserved…largely because his twelve, ground-breaking Hardman books were poorly packaged as sleazy men’s action-adventure paperbacks with numbered titles. At the time of his death in 1988, he was working at a bookstore in Atlanta and had a file cabinet full of unpublished novels. Brash Books will be releasing the entire Hardman series, his three other published novels, and his long-lost manuscripts.
