Caretaker of Lorne Field

From Overlook's Winter Catalog:

Dave Zeltserman’s last novel was named by NPR as one of the top five crime and mystery novels of 2008 and one of The Washington Post’s best books of the year. Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, said his “breakthrough third crime novel deserves comparison with the best of James Ellroy.” And Crimetime calls him “a name to watch.” Now, Zeltserman has written the book his fans have been waiting for—a classic unlike anything you’ve ever read.

Jack Durkin is the ninth generation of Durkins who have weeded Lorne Field for nearly 300 years. Though he and his wife Lydia are miserable and would like nothing more than to leave, Jack must wait until his son has come of age to tend the field on his own. It’s an important job, though no one else seems to realize it. For, if the field is left untended, a horrific monster called an Aukowie will grow—a monster capable of taking over the entirety of America in just two weeks. Or so it is said. . .

“If Stephen King had a true Noir calling and Peter Straub added contemporary horror . . . and Dean Koontz threw in his fine depiction of ordinary life . . . then bring the specter of James M. Cain to write the narrative, you’d come close to describing the whole effect of this stunning, slice-of-the-zeitgeist, wondrous novel. And the writing is pure dark bliss.” —Ken Bruen

Publishing date: Feb. 2010

Other upcoming books:

Pariah, Oct. 2009
Bad Karma, Oct. 2009
Killer, Jan. 2010 (UK), July 2010 (US)
Outsourced, (was 28 Minutes), July 2010 (UK), October 2010 (US)
Essence, Feb. 2010

Julius Katz

I've got the lead story in the Sept/Oct issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, available at newsstands next week. Actually, since my story "Julius Katz" weighs in at 18,000 words, I've really got the lead novella. "Julius Katz" is my tribute to Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe, which has always been one of my favorites. In my version the Archie Goodwin character is a 4 inch piece of space age technology (and worn as a tie clip) who is constantly trying to modify his neuron network so he can beat Julius Katz to the punch in solving a murder. Julius is the brilliant Nero Wolfe-like detective, although in his case while an epicurean, he's a wine enthusiast, man about town, and very fit martial arts expert. The best way to describe this story is charming. Don't believe me? Check it out!

more very early stuff on Killer

Serpent's Tail's description:

Leonard March walks free from jail after fourteen years' hard time, served after turning state’s witness against his Mafia boss Salvatore Lombard. It’s only after Leonard is sentenced that the public learned that he was a Mob hitman with eighteen deaths to answer for. Leonard is released to public outrage and media furore. He spends his time working as a janitor while looking over his shoulder, fearful of a vigilante attack or a revenge hit from his former colleagues. At 62 and with plenty of time on his hands, he is at an age when most men grow reflective and attempt to understand their mark on the world. But for Leonard, while the threats to his safety are not imagined, his self-reflection may pose the greatest threat of all.

A very early look at Killer

Pariah still isn't out in the US for almost three months, and Killer won't be released in the UK until January and in the US for another year, but here's what I think is a brilliant cover that my publisher sent me for Killer.