Book excerpt: From an Edgar Award–nominated author, a small-town chief of police is pushed to his limits while going up against a local crime syndicate. The near-fatal stabbing of Armand “Fat Manny” Manditti, a numbers runner working for the local mob boss, has chief of police Mario Balzic in a bind. Neither Fat Manny nor his brother Tullio are talking, probably because they are putting together a revenge plan that will soon turn the small rust-belt town of Rocksburg into a morgue. Unless Balzic can come up with the perp before they do. It’s the kind of fix that can get even the most conscientious cop in trouble. . . . “Constantine is a marvelous writer. May Mario Balzic thrive.” —The New York Times “K.C. Constantine is one of the most talked about mystery writers on the American scene. Constantine has a smooth style, and his plots are loaded with unexpected twists and turns.” ―Boston Globe “Constantine writes a terrific mystery.” ―Providence Journal