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The Killing Yards
Not yet published
Expected 22 Sep 26This gritty crime novel set in 1990s New York City will appeal to fans of Dennis Lehane.
New York, 1993. Jimmy Lettner, a convicted drug-trafficker who once lost a daughter in a narco-fueled car wreck, runs Manhattan’s hottest nightspot, Abattoir. Reformed by his time in prison, all he wants is to run a clean club. But that’s not possible in a city rife with corruption.
Jimmy doesn’t know it, but his right-hand man, Serge Thanakis, is operating an ecstasy ring that’s drawing the wrong kind of attention. Jealous industry rivals will do anything to shut Abbatoir down, and the new mayor presses the NYPD to clean up the city’s darkest corners. As Jimmy’s troubles mount, temptations from his past call to him.
Meanwhile, Ben Hopkins, a straight-edge rookie cop on the hunt for a fast-track ticket to detective, turns his attention to Abattoir. He has something to prove—to his father and to himself. But he’s not prepared for undercover work. The club scene devours Ben, along with his ability to tell right and wrong.
As the war for Abattoir escalates, bodies drop, drawing more heat from city officials. The competition threatens Jimmy’s only surviving daughter, a revelation about his past threatens his future, and he questions how long his reign as NYC’s nightclub king can last. But through it all the dance floor stays packed—and Jimmy will do anything to keep his crown.
New York, 1993. Jimmy Lettner, a convicted drug-trafficker who once lost a daughter in a narco-fueled car wreck, runs Manhattan’s hottest nightspot, Abattoir. Reformed by his time in prison, all he wants is to run a clean club. But that’s not possible in a city rife with corruption.
Jimmy doesn’t know it, but his right-hand man, Serge Thanakis, is operating an ecstasy ring that’s drawing the wrong kind of attention. Jealous industry rivals will do anything to shut Abbatoir down, and the new mayor presses the NYPD to clean up the city’s darkest corners. As Jimmy’s troubles mount, temptations from his past call to him.
Meanwhile, Ben Hopkins, a straight-edge rookie cop on the hunt for a fast-track ticket to detective, turns his attention to Abattoir. He has something to prove—to his father and to himself. But he’s not prepared for undercover work. The club scene devours Ben, along with his ability to tell right and wrong.
As the war for Abattoir escalates, bodies drop, drawing more heat from city officials. The competition threatens Jimmy’s only surviving daughter, a revelation about his past threatens his future, and he questions how long his reign as NYC’s nightclub king can last. But through it all the dance floor stays packed—and Jimmy will do anything to keep his crown.
337 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 22, 2026
About the author
Jason Allison
10 books63 followersBronx-born and raised, Jason Allison spent twenty years with the NYPD, mostly as a homicide detective. His debut novel, THE KILLING YARDS, comes out 9/22/26 from Crooked Lane Books. His award-winning fiction has been featured in literary journals and short story anthologies. He and his wife live in Massachusetts with their judgmental Golden Retriever.
Jason posts intermittently about culture at jasonallison.substack.com.
Jason posts intermittently about culture at jasonallison.substack.com.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 1, 2026
Meet your new favorite nineties noir thriller, courtesy of a remarkably talented debut. There's so much to love about Jason Allison's storytelling, which combines grit and unflinching action with vivid, stylish prose. This multi-POV novel takes readers into the minds of criminals and cops, but don't expect cookie-cutter detective fiction from its exploration of New York City's illicit underworld. Allison's deep professional experience with investigative work provides the backdrop for an authentic high-octane dive into nightclubs, crime rings, and collateral damage. I'm obsessed.
July 31, 2026
Allison's debut reads nothing like a debut. Beyond an intricate plot and tons of moving parts in this novel, Allison establishes an incredibly strong style and voice that I'm certain will bolster his career in crime fiction. The period details and the pulsing insanity of the 1990s nightclub scene in New York are written in a way that only a veteran New Yorker could write, and the vast cast of characters are a thing of brilliance. Story-wise, this novel offers a little of everything you'd want: scandal, murder, double-crossing, and a never-ending struggle for power. All of this burns hot, delivering a conclusion that, quite honestly, is one of the best I've read this year.
September 10, 2026
I finished this last night, and honestly I am not sure when the last time I felt so excited about an ending was. You know, a lot of times you read a book and there’s so much buildup and then the ending comes and it’s like a downhill mountain snowball rolling out of control and then it just ends… well The Killing Yards by Jason. Allison is the complete opposite. This book was so well paced and evenly balanced. The ending was so well executed, I jumped up from the couch and ran to my husband’s office to tell him how good the ending was. It was just so so satisfying. I want to say more, but I don’t want to spoil it.
I’ve read my fair share of crime novels, and this one though really sucked me right in. I felt like I was in New York City in the 90’s and I felt like in Jimmy’s nightclub… dancing not doing drugs (to be clear 😉) the descriptions were on point but weren’t overdone.
The characters; Jimmy, Serge, Michelle, Ben, Hannah… ugh they were all imperfect and sketchy and exactly all of the things you expect a noir crime thriller character to be. Not in a cliche way but more of a tradition archetype. They never felt flat.
Anyways, you can read what the stories about I’m not going to regurgitate a good read summary. All you need to know that this is one of the best debut books. I have read all year and if you’re into greedy, hard-boiled crime thrillers then this absolutely needs to be on your TBR.
I’ve read my fair share of crime novels, and this one though really sucked me right in. I felt like I was in New York City in the 90’s and I felt like in Jimmy’s nightclub… dancing not doing drugs (to be clear 😉) the descriptions were on point but weren’t overdone.
The characters; Jimmy, Serge, Michelle, Ben, Hannah… ugh they were all imperfect and sketchy and exactly all of the things you expect a noir crime thriller character to be. Not in a cliche way but more of a tradition archetype. They never felt flat.
Anyways, you can read what the stories about I’m not going to regurgitate a good read summary. All you need to know that this is one of the best debut books. I have read all year and if you’re into greedy, hard-boiled crime thrillers then this absolutely needs to be on your TBR.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Jason Allison’s debut novel is steeped in the violent, modern noir tradition of writers like James Ellroy, Don Winslow and, more recently Jordan Harper. The Killing Yards is historical crime fiction, set in the club scene that thrived in New York’s meat packing district well before it was gentrified. The Killing Yards is dark and gritty and spends most of its time either with criminals, former criminals or police who have lost their way. And it is compulsive and compelling.
The Killing Yards is set in New York in 1993. Jimmy Lettner runs Abattoir, the hottest club in the city. Jimmy is a former drug dealer who has spent time in prison and lost his daughter to drugs while he was there so is keen to keep his club clean. But it is not that easy. There are dealers on his floor from a rival club, unbeknownst to him his old partner Serge is still dealing, he is in competition with another club that wants to take over Abattoir, he is indebted to the mafia and the new Mayor Rudi Guiliani has just come in and has promised to clean up the city. And all of this is just the setup.
Allison dives deeply into the lives of three other characters besides Jimmy. This includes Serge, Jimmy’s wife Michelle - who holds the liquor licenses for the club and is keen to expand the business - and young police officer Ben - who is seeking to make his name by going undercover but in doing so finds himself way too deep. Swirling around these characters is a colourful and dangerous cast of drug dealers, addicts, prostitutes, mafia, party animals and bent cops.
Allison was a former New York City police officer and it shows. He delivers an atmospheric picture of this particular aspect of New York culture in the early 90s. The lines outside the dance clubs where people went to not only dance by to be seen and be part of the scene. The rundown area in which these enterprises thrived – the old warehouses that were converted into dance spaces.
All of this, coupled with Allison’s muscular noir styling, makes The Killing Yards a darkly compelling narrative. Allison gets into the heads of his main characters and gives readers enough to care about them even when they are doing terrible things. And they all do terrible things when the pressure is on. There are no angels here, only differing levels of darkness and readers are likely to find themselves hoping for all of the main characters to succeed.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Crime noir-styled thriller set in 1993 New York City during its municipal changes and police crackdowns.
Abattoir, a nightclub owned by Michelle Lettner but run by her husband, Jimmy, has gone drug clean, or so Jimmy thinks. Unknown to him, his second-in-command, Serge Thanakis, runs an underground ecstasy ring out of Abattoir that rivals want to shut down - as well as the city with its new anti-crime leadership. Ben Hopkins, a newly minted cop, wants to make a mark and he thinks Abattoir may be his way to go that. However, Ben learns he’s over his head as an undercover cop. Meanwhile, Jimmy, who lost one daughter to drugs, will do anything to ensure his surviving daughter doesn’t meet the same fate.
Told from the perspectives of Michelle, Jimmy, Serge and Ben, we are treated to a “noir” that’s gripping, sizzling with tension and explosive actions. We see these characters change as their purposes are challenged and the underbelly of the drug world emerges at the Abattoir. It’s a very morally grey world! Shades of Don Winslow to me!
I liked Ben in a way. He was so naive, so eager and then so deflated by reality . Jimmy in his heart wanted to reform but in order to keep everyone “dancing” he had to pay a big price. All the characters wouldn’t win a peace prize but they fit this story so well.
This is a book for lovers of noir thrillers.
I gave this book five stars for its writing, structure and crime-feeling intensity, for the beauty of fashioning such a neatly told noir and for the enjoyment I got in reading it.
My thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for granting me access to this ARC.
Abattoir, a nightclub owned by Michelle Lettner but run by her husband, Jimmy, has gone drug clean, or so Jimmy thinks. Unknown to him, his second-in-command, Serge Thanakis, runs an underground ecstasy ring out of Abattoir that rivals want to shut down - as well as the city with its new anti-crime leadership. Ben Hopkins, a newly minted cop, wants to make a mark and he thinks Abattoir may be his way to go that. However, Ben learns he’s over his head as an undercover cop. Meanwhile, Jimmy, who lost one daughter to drugs, will do anything to ensure his surviving daughter doesn’t meet the same fate.
Told from the perspectives of Michelle, Jimmy, Serge and Ben, we are treated to a “noir” that’s gripping, sizzling with tension and explosive actions. We see these characters change as their purposes are challenged and the underbelly of the drug world emerges at the Abattoir. It’s a very morally grey world! Shades of Don Winslow to me!
I liked Ben in a way. He was so naive, so eager and then so deflated by reality . Jimmy in his heart wanted to reform but in order to keep everyone “dancing” he had to pay a big price. All the characters wouldn’t win a peace prize but they fit this story so well.
This is a book for lovers of noir thrillers.
I gave this book five stars for its writing, structure and crime-feeling intensity, for the beauty of fashioning such a neatly told noir and for the enjoyment I got in reading it.
My thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for granting me access to this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Author
It’s the nineties and the murder rate in New York City is off the charts.
Jimmy is a former hood who now wants nothing more than to run a clean night club, but he’s a felon, so his wife Michelle’s name is on the paperwork. Michelle is ambitious, a former party girl turned realtor, and she’s tired of being the silent partner to her husband. She hates Jimmy’s enforcer, Serge, who is the reason Jimmy went to prison in the first place. And Ben’s a clean-cut kid, a young cop with visions of making detective to spite his ol man.
The Killing Yards is told through the POVs of these four characters. I was searching for a title to compare to The Killing Yards and the closest I could find would be the film Donnie Brasco combined with Dennis Lehane's knack for precise characterization and dialogue.
The four stories merge into one as Jimmy and co must push back against industry rivals and mayor Giuliani who is hell bent on shutting down Jimmy's club, Abbatoir.
With richly drawn characters, and a plot soaked in the spilled drinks, hard drugs, and cigarette smoke of the raging NYC nightclub scene, The Killing Yards is a great slice of noir that keeps you guessing at each character’s fate until the very end.
Jimmy is a former hood who now wants nothing more than to run a clean night club, but he’s a felon, so his wife Michelle’s name is on the paperwork. Michelle is ambitious, a former party girl turned realtor, and she’s tired of being the silent partner to her husband. She hates Jimmy’s enforcer, Serge, who is the reason Jimmy went to prison in the first place. And Ben’s a clean-cut kid, a young cop with visions of making detective to spite his ol man.
The Killing Yards is told through the POVs of these four characters. I was searching for a title to compare to The Killing Yards and the closest I could find would be the film Donnie Brasco combined with Dennis Lehane's knack for precise characterization and dialogue.
The four stories merge into one as Jimmy and co must push back against industry rivals and mayor Giuliani who is hell bent on shutting down Jimmy's club, Abbatoir.
With richly drawn characters, and a plot soaked in the spilled drinks, hard drugs, and cigarette smoke of the raging NYC nightclub scene, The Killing Yards is a great slice of noir that keeps you guessing at each character’s fate until the very end.
Review of advance copy
Jason Allison is a talented and passionate crime fiction author who just happens to have spent twenty years policing the city he writes about—most of those years as a homicide detective.
Jimmy Lettner can’t officially own New York’s hottest club, Abattoir, because he did time for drug trafficking. His wife, Michelle, is the official owner, but they both know Jimmy lives for the club, and he means to stay clean to keep Abattoir on top. Everything conspires against him, though: the couple’s shared past, full of incredible joy and incredible tragedy, their seedy business associates, and, of course, the NYPD. I couldn’t help but care about this rich cast of characters, and more than one perfectly crafted plot twist caught me by surprise.
Allison writes of the city he grew up in, and he owns the atmosphere of New York in those days more completely than any author I can think of. The sense of place in The Killing Yards rivals modern masters like Adrian McKinty and S. A. Cosby, even if the places they write of differ greatly.
This is a blistering debut novel from an award-winning short-story author with a very bright future.
Jimmy Lettner can’t officially own New York’s hottest club, Abattoir, because he did time for drug trafficking. His wife, Michelle, is the official owner, but they both know Jimmy lives for the club, and he means to stay clean to keep Abattoir on top. Everything conspires against him, though: the couple’s shared past, full of incredible joy and incredible tragedy, their seedy business associates, and, of course, the NYPD. I couldn’t help but care about this rich cast of characters, and more than one perfectly crafted plot twist caught me by surprise.
Allison writes of the city he grew up in, and he owns the atmosphere of New York in those days more completely than any author I can think of. The sense of place in The Killing Yards rivals modern masters like Adrian McKinty and S. A. Cosby, even if the places they write of differ greatly.
This is a blistering debut novel from an award-winning short-story author with a very bright future.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Wow. This FAR exceeded my expectations and was a heck of a debut from Mr. Allison. At times, I felt like I was reading something written by Don Winslow! I felt like I was in the middle of the story the entire time I was reading it, which was enhanced by each chapter being from a different character's viewpoint. The switching viewpoints created a 360 view of the entire setting of the novel - I could very clearly see in my mind what the author was laying out, which isn't always easy to do. Needless to say this WILL make a great movie and I hope it gets picked up and a screen play written if it hasn't been already. I hope this is the first of many novels for Mr. Allison as I will eagerly read whatever he writes next!
Thank you to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC. #TheKillingYards #NetGalley
Thank you to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC. #TheKillingYards #NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Crooked Lane for sending me a galley of this terrific debut. This crime novel steps on the gas early on, but eases up enough throughout to build an impressive cast of characters. What impressed me most was the attention to 90s details, specifically those of 90s NYC.
I'm not one for spoilers, so you'll find none here. Pick this one up. You won't regret it.
I'm not one for spoilers, so you'll find none here. Pick this one up. You won't regret it.
Review of advance copy
A home run debut. Lived-in characters and earned authenticity.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Loved. Gritty late 1980s-1990s NYC crime drama. Fabulous first novel, terrific period piece. This book had this Brooklyn girl hook, line, and sinker.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews