Misdirection, The Rusty Diamond Mysteries

A street magician needs more than sleight-of-hand to survive in this dark, edgy crime thriller . . .

After years of chasing fame and hedonistic excess in the bright lights of Las Vegas, Rusty “The Raven” Diamond has returned home to Ocean City, Maryland, to piece his life back together. When he finds himself an innocent suspect in his landlord’s brutal murder, Rusty abandons all hope of maintaining a tranquil existence. Acting on impulse, he digs into the investigation just enough to anger both the police and a local drug cartel.

As the case grows more complex, claiming new victims and inciting widespread panic, Rusty feels galvanized by the adrenaline he’s been missing for too long. But his newfound excitement threatens to become an addiction, leading him headfirst into an underworld he’s been desperately trying to escape . . .

This is the first in the series featuring an illusionist-turned-sleuth by the author of The Platinum Loop, which was praised by Publishers Weekly as “pulp fun at its best.”