Description

A smart-talking supernatural noir, full of twists and turns, delivered at a whipalong pace about a dead investigative-journalist-turned-soul-collector on the trail of his nemesis – and murderer. Perfect for fans of Ben Aaranovitch and Richard Kadrey.

Del Farmer isn’t your ordinary hardboiled private eye. Instead of collecting fingerprints or clues, he collects souls of the recently dead. His latest dead guy, Brad Larsen, might just be the key to destroying Farmer’s long-time nemesis, The Association.

Of course, Farmer is sadly mistaken. An FBI agent unstuck in time is toying with him. A mysterious couple keeps trying to kill him. Another job a mundane babysitting gig that pays the bills is threatening to steer him way off course into a violent hell of sexual deceit, fractured identities, and cheap apartment toilets.

With only a head packed full of nagging ghosts, Farmer realises this case might just drive him out of his mind, literally.

Publisher Review

Praise for Secret Dead Men

Swierczynski’s brisk pace and light comic touch often resemble vintage Donald Westlake…A delicious comic thriller with a science-fiction twist.
-Kirkus Reviews

Secret Dead Men is the most inventive, uplifting, hilarious, moving novel since The Catcher in the Rye.
— Ken Bruen, author of Galway Girl

A profoundly psychotic hilarious whodunit fantasy… It’s as if [Swierczynski] simultaneously channeled Philip K. Dick, Eugene Ionesco, Richard Matheson, Raymond Chandler and Charles Willeford.
— Ed Gorman, author of the Sam McCain mysteries

Filled with fascinating creations and memorable scenes. [Secret Dead Men] takes the traditional forms and puts a unique spin on them, reflecting the mind of an author with both new ideas and an idiosyncratic personality.
–Philadelphia Inquirer

Fresh and idiosyncratic… Offbeat, quirky and confident, revealing Swierczynski as a talented newcomer.
— Chicago Sun-Times

One of the most surreal, amusing crime thrillers in recent memory. A masterpiece of weirdness and humor.
–January Magazine

Secret Dead Men is a blast of a read and the most imaginatively conceived crime novel I’ve read in ages, possibly ever.
— The View from the Blue House blog

Crime fiction doesn’t get much weirder.
–Publisher’s Weekly

Praise for Duane Swierczynski

Fresh, exciting, and brilliantly unpredictable.
— James Patterson, New York Times bestselling author on California Bear

Duane Swierczynski is a much-needed breath of fresh air in the book world . . . This guy is a great storyteller. I never know what he is going to come up with or where he is going to take me. I just know I won’t be complaining about a thing once I get there.
— Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author on Revolver

Duane Swierczynski knows how to slam it down on the table. His tales are up there with the best of them.
— John Carpenter, director of Halloween, Escape from New York, and The Thing

Swierczynski keeps the action pulsating along [with] an array of compelling characters, crisp dialogue, and pop culture references.
— The Boston Globe on Canary

What a fantastic storyteller! Duane Swierczynski is the oh-so-talented face of the new noir.
— Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The House Guest

Duane Swierczynski is one of the best thriller writers in America.
— James Frey, New York Times bestselling author of Bright Shiny Morning and A Million Little Pieces

Duane Swierczynski writes the new noir’, full of bad choices, courage, and sudden disaster, all delivered at a break-neck pace.
— Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author on Canary

Duane Swierczynski puts the rest of the crime-writing world on notice. So learn to spell the last name. He’s going to be around for a while.
— Laura Lippman, Edgar Award-winning author of Every Secret Thing on The Wheelman

Swierczynski cleverly melds the thriller and fantasy elements (especially the notion of nonlinear time), producing a thoroughly readable, suspenseful romp.
— Bill Ott, Booklist on Expiration Date

Swierczynski writes a brand of thriller whose pacing forces us to reexamine our casual use of the word breakneck – Booklist on Severance Package

Swierczynski is brilliant at fooling even savvy readers, and his jaw-dropping twists never compromise his exceptional character development.
— Publishers’ Weekly.