Scratch the Surface

Deuce Walsh #1

by Josh K. Stevens

Scratch the Surface is the first book in an action-packed thriller trilogy arriving back-to-back, about a former mafia collector, written in classic pulp style with plenty of humor.

Deuce Walsh is a former gangster trying to keep his past hidden in the middle of nowhere Midwest. Seven years ago, his colleagues—The Chianti Brothers—made a power play and left him for dead. He survived, but had to leave everything behind and start from scratch with a new identity.

But when his brother-in-law Colm, a degenerate gambler and wannabe wiseguy, gets himself into trouble, Deuce is brought back into the life of crime and finds himself helping Colm pay off a debt to the very people who tried to have him killed in the first place.

314 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Shawn Wickersheim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lately when I've wanted to read some really good crime fiction I've turned to Richard Stark's 'Parker' series or Lawrence Block's 'Matthew Scudder' series. Now I feel like I can add Josh K. Stevens new 'Deuce Walsh' series to that list. I enjoyed his hard-hitting writing style and the quick pace of this novel, and I can't wait to read the next book in this new and thrilling series.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't ever ready mystery books, but I needed something new to fulfill my need to read and found myself starting this book and finishing it within a week, which is something that usually takes me months. This book did not help me find a nice lull to sleep to that books usually bring me at night, but instead kept me up wanting to read more and more and finish out the story. Looking forward to book #2.

[Kevin]

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