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The Things We Do
“A fascinating and exciting blend of misdirection, topsy-turvy, and violence.” —Reed Farrel Coleman
An ex-Los Angeles homicide cop turned PI is on the trail of a murderous psychopath terrorizing L.A. in the first of the Morris Brick crime thriller series.
Five years earlier the Skull Cracker Killer terrorized New York City, taking twelve victims in a manner even more horrific manner than his nickname suggests, and was never caught. Now he’s back, making Los Angeles his new killing ground. Former LAPD homicide detective Morris Brick is consulting on a serial-killer film, where a desperate mayor pleads with Brick to take on the case. The only way he can stop these perverse murders is to learn the madman’s mind-bending secret—before the killer strikes again, this time much too close to home...
“A dark and different serial killer novel that will haunt the reader long after the book is closed.” —John Lutz
“Los Angeles has seldom seen such grisly fun. It’s James Ellroy meets Alfred Hitchcock on the psychotic side of the street.” —Paul Levine
“One of the most compelling, thrilling, and truth be told, at times look-away-from-page-frightening serial killer novels I've read in a long, long time.” —Vincent Zandri
An ex-Los Angeles homicide cop turned PI is on the trail of a murderous psychopath terrorizing L.A. in the first of the Morris Brick crime thriller series.
Five years earlier the Skull Cracker Killer terrorized New York City, taking twelve victims in a manner even more horrific manner than his nickname suggests, and was never caught. Now he’s back, making Los Angeles his new killing ground. Former LAPD homicide detective Morris Brick is consulting on a serial-killer film, where a desperate mayor pleads with Brick to take on the case. The only way he can stop these perverse murders is to learn the madman’s mind-bending secret—before the killer strikes again, this time much too close to home...
“A dark and different serial killer novel that will haunt the reader long after the book is closed.” —John Lutz
“Los Angeles has seldom seen such grisly fun. It’s James Ellroy meets Alfred Hitchcock on the psychotic side of the street.” —Paul Levine
“One of the most compelling, thrilling, and truth be told, at times look-away-from-page-frightening serial killer novels I've read in a long, long time.” —Vincent Zandri
333 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 10, 2025
About the author
Dave Zeltserman
103 books174 followersAuthor of the crime noir novel SMALL CRIMES named by NPR as the best crime and mystery novel of 2008, and by the Washington Post as one of the best novels of 2008, and made into a major film (to be released in 2017) starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Molly Parker, Gary Cole, Robert Forster, and Jacki Weaver.
Shamus Award winner for JULIUS KATZ. Ellery Queen's Readers Choice Award winner for ARCHIE'S BEEN FRAMED and ARCHIE SOLVES THE CASE.
PARIAH named by the Washington Post as one of the best books of 2009. THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD (2010) shortlisted by American Library Association for best horror novel of the year and named a horror gem by Library Journal. MONSTER selected by Booklist Magazine for their 2013 list of top 10 horror novels and WBUR for one of the best novels of the year.
OUTSOURCED (2011) and THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD are also currently being developed for film.
Shamus Award winner for JULIUS KATZ. Ellery Queen's Readers Choice Award winner for ARCHIE'S BEEN FRAMED and ARCHIE SOLVES THE CASE.
PARIAH named by the Washington Post as one of the best books of 2009. THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD (2010) shortlisted by American Library Association for best horror novel of the year and named a horror gem by Library Journal. MONSTER selected by Booklist Magazine for their 2013 list of top 10 horror novels and WBUR for one of the best novels of the year.
OUTSOURCED (2011) and THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD are also currently being developed for film.
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