Book excerpt: Named one of the top ten crime novels of 2005 by the American Library Association, Dead Game marks the return of "far and away the most inventive new detective hero" (Booklist). Ex-DEA agent John Marquez, now head of the undercover unit of the California Department of Fish and Game, is closing in on sturgeon poachers, whose highly profitable caviar trade is backed by the Russian mafia. When his key confidential informant disappears, Marquez follows the trail directly into the middle of a deadly FBI operation and a web of conflicting loyalties. Newly releasedin paperback, this fast-paced, compelling, and vivid ecothriller pushes the tough-but-sensitive Marquez to the limit.