My Brother's Keeper: A Thriller

by Vaughn C. Hardacker

Overview

Retired detective Ed Traynor returns in the next exciting thriller from Vaughn Hardacker, and this time, the case is personal.

When Private Investigator Ed Traynor is summoned to a remote spot in the New Hampshire woods by his old friend County Sheriff Buck Buchanan, he's puzzled. Since leaving the force, Buck has never called him to a homicide scene before. But when he arrives, Ed learns that the victim is his brother, John. Though there was no love lost between them, Ed vows to find and catch the killer and get justice for his little brother.

The hunt leads Ed to New England's biggest drug kingpins, the Escobar brothers. Navigating a world where allegiances are up for grabs and motivations are never clear, his every step towards the truth could be his last.

From Vaughn C. Hardacker, acclaimed author of Sniper and The Fisherman and twice finalist for the Maine Literary Awards, comes the action-packed follow-up to Black Orchid, which Publishers Weekly called "hard-hitting."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510718524
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	07/02/2019
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Vaughn C. Hardacker is a veteran of the US Marines who served in Vietnam. He holds degrees from Northern Maine Community College, the University of Maine, and Southern New Hampshire University. He is a member of the New England chapter of the Mystery Writers of America and the International Thriller Writers. His short stories have been published in several anthologies.

Editorial Reviews

05/27/2019

After a promisingly gritty opening, Hardacker’s sequel to 2016’s Black Orchid devolves into a run-of-the-mill crime novel. When the Rockingham County, N.H., sheriff asks PI Ed Traynor to identify a body, Traynor is stunned, though not surprised, that it belongs to his screwed-up brother, John, who was often on the wrong side of the law. John was shot in the head in a killing that appears to be a drug hit. Wracked with guilt, Traynor resolves to track down his brother’s murderer. His investigation is complicated by his attraction to his now-widowed sister-in-law and the prospect that learning more about John will only cause her more pain. Sure enough, a business card in John’s wallet leads Traynor to a nearby strip joint, where he meets the woman named on the card’s reverse side, who claims to have been John’s wife. Uneven prose (“Like the alluring sweet scent of a carnivorous plant, Traynor knew she was trying to lull him into a false sense of security”) doesn’t help. Hopefully, Hardacker will do better next time. Agent: Paula Munier, Talcott Notch Literary Services. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for My Brother's Keeper
"Bristling with suspense. . . . This riveting tale with its surprising twists and enormously satisfying ending will make you a Hardacker fan."—Gayle Lynds, New York Times best-selling author of The Assassins

"Vaughn C. Hardacker writes  lean, evocative prose that perfectly captures both the hard-eyed cops, PIs and criminals that populate his world, and the forests, lakes and gritty New England towns where they circle and struggle against each other. If Raymond Chandler and Paul Doiron had a kid, it would be My Brother's Keeper. A must-read."—Julia Spencer-Fleming, New York Times-bestselling author

Hardacker's mysteries and thrillers are hard-hitting, gritty stories of murder and mayhem, heavy with graphic violence and constant plot twists."—Bushnell on Books

Praise for Vaughn C. Hardacker's Black Orchid:

"In this hard-hitting crime novel . . . Hardacker keeps the action flowing all the way to the violent climax." —Publishers Weekly 

"Fast paced and action packed, Black Orchid takes the Hollywood private eye novel in a bold and exciting new direction. You won't want to put it down." —Paul Doiron, author of The Precipice

Praise for Vaughn C. Hardacker's Sniper:

“Born in Southie and forged by the Marine Corps, there’s no way Boston police detective Mike Houston is going to sit still for a sniper shooting up his city, never mind going after the people he loves. A tense and exciting duel that turns the pages for you.”—Stephen D. Rogers, author of Shot to Death

“From its initial horrific crime to its hold-your-breath climax, Sniper is a full-throttle thriller. Hardacker has written a page-turner that feels authentic both technically and in its very human cast of characters. Fans of Stephen Hunter’s Bob Lee Swagger won’t want to miss this outstanding debut!”—Steve Ulfelder, Edgar-nominated author of Shotgun Lullaby

"Tense, taut, and genuinely chilling. Hardacker instills this disturbingly sinister tale of vengeance and terror with true Boston heart and authenticity.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, award–winning author of The Wrong Girl

“Hardacker handles the action and the characters well and ties things together in a suspenseful manner.” —Kirkus Reviews 

From the Publisher