The Marsh Mallows

by Henry Hack

A homicide detective solves a series of murders of blue-eyed blondes employed in the sex trade, but worries that the confessed killer may not be the real killer after all.


The Marsh Mallows (87,000 words) is a crime thriller set on Long Island. A single scream in the night begins New York Detective Danny Boyland’s investigation into the “crime of the decade.” Melanie Smith, a beautiful, blue-eyed blonde escort, has disappeared after her last date. The search for her leads to the discovery of numerous bodies in the swampy marshlands and bogs of the Island’s south shore. Not only are blue-eyed blondes formerly employed in the sex trade turning up dead, but also several suspected drug mules, and a bevy of long-dead mobsters dating back to the Lufthansa heist in the 70s. From eastern Long Island to Brooklyn, a three-pronged task force of the area’s top detectives sets out to solve the murders. Danny’s investigation leads him to the highest ranks of the New York Metropolitan Police Department, a meticulously crafted frame-up, and a resolution that will haunt him forever.

287 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2019

About the author

Henry Hack served for twenty-two years in the Nassau County, NY Police Department rising to the rank of Inspector. He commanded the Scientific Investigation Bureau and was qualified as an expert witness in several forensic fields including blood, narcotics and trace evidence. He also commanded the Eighth Patrol Precinct in Levittown for four years. His academic credentials include a Bachelor’s in Chemistry from Adelphi University and a Master’s in Criminal Justice from Long Island University. Henry is a lifelong New Yorker, born and raised in Queens, and currently resides in coastal North Carolina with his wife, Lorraine.