Little Black Dress

What happens with a hit man meets his new mother-in-law?

Multiple Shamus Award winner Loren D. Estleman is “a superb stylist as well as a deft storyteller [who] paints his people and his city with acerbic wit and wry affection” (San Diego Union-Tribune).

Peter Macklin was a hit man for a long time but he has taken steps to distance himself from his tattooed past, like quitting the mob, moving away from Detroit, and marrying the gorgeous, intelligent Laurie. But retirement isn’t easy for an ex-hit man.

Now the man accustomed to killing people in cold blood must adjust to a sadistic ritual of early marriage… he must spend time with his eccentric mother-in-law. This event takes an unexpected turn when Macklin discovers mom-in-law’s boyfriend Benjamin Grinnell is a spotter for a gang of armed robbers. Unfortunately, Grinnell made a big mistake: he failed to spot a shotgun-toting shop-owner, whom the gang had to turn into red mist. Now Grinnell’s life is threatened, and Grinnell’s jeopardy endangers his sweetie… and Laurie.

Macklin, driven by his professional curiosity and his desire to protect his family, can’t help but get involved. As Macklin investigates Grinnell’s dark affairs, he inevitably gets tangled up with Grinnell’s enemies, including the Ohio mob… and the law. All parties converge in a deadly shootout, with the lives of Macklin’s loved ones and the fate of his marriage precariously hanging in the balance.