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Pub date

ISBN 978-1-03-832487-0

Price $33.49 Hardcover, $20.99 Paperback, $4.99 eBook

Author interview

Pachan, a former officer turned novelist, continues his Cam Clay series by dropping his battered detective into a sweltering Calgary summer just as the city erupts in Stampede chaos and into a case as messy as the celebration itself. A man is found executed in a quiet suburban driveway, his body wrecked, his identity unclear. As the Stampede parade barrels through downtown, Cam Clay is called in to investigate. What looks like a gang hit quickly spirals into something more sinister: the victim’s ties to a new crew known as the West Coast Bombers, whispers of a meth super-lab, and the creeping suspicion that organized crime is sinking deeper roots in Western Canada.

Clay isn’t a superhero in a trench coat. He’s physically worn down, emotionally scraped raw, and trying to reconnect with his on-and-off partner, Maddie, while wrestling with a justice system that’s as cracked as his personal life. Pachan leans into the emotional wear and tear of the job, giving Clay just enough wry humor and doggedness to keep going. The supporting cast adds texture. Pachan excels at pacing: he allows details to unfold slowly but never drags. Each narrative thread tightens the noose. Each quiet moment builds emotional heft. It’s not just about solving a murder; it’s about giving the dead a voice, even when no one wants to listen. Taut, grounded, and emotionally honest, this is a procedural noir done right.

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