Book Description
Reluctant sleuth and Miami developer John Deal is the last of his kind—a builder who appreciates his craft. His friend Arch Dolan was the last of his kind, too, a Miami bookseller who sold books because he loved them. Now someone has killed him for it. And he's only the first body to fall. In quick succession the CEO of a huge bookstore chain and a local lawyer meet violent ends...and Deal starts finding connections. Still, it's not easy for Deal: his estranged wife Janice, is still emotionally and physically scarred from mishaps the last time Deal stepped into the path of the wrong people. But Janice was close to Arch and she's as eager to find the killer as her husband. Working together, they discover that Arch's sister, lately employed by a charismatic revivalist, has disappeared. With the clues pointing north, Deal and Janice set out on a journey to a distant and frigid climate, one that threatens to chill them out for good.
About the Author
Les Standiford is author of the novels Spill (released as a feature film), Done Deal, Raw Deal, Deal to Die For, Deal on Ice, Presidential Deal, Deal With the Dead, and Bone Key. He wrote the pictorial history Coral Gables: The City Beautiful Story, and has contributed the text for the photographic essay collection Miami: City of Dreams. His articles and stories have appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines, including the New York Times best-seller, Naked Came the Manatee. He is a recipient of the Frank O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, a Florida Individual Artist Fellowship, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction. His books have been reprinted in Great Britain, France, Holland, Germany, Spain, and Japan. He is currently Professor of English and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Florida International University in Miami, where he has lived since 1981, with his wife Kimberly, a psychotherapist, and their three children, Jeremy, Hannah, and Alexander.
Book Deal FROM THE PUBLISHER
Reluctant sleuth and Miami developer John Deal is the last of his kind—a builder who appreciates his craft. His friend Arch Dolan was the last of his kind, too, a Miami bookseller who sold books because he loved them. Now someone has killed him for it. And he's only the first body to fall. In quick succession the CEO of a huge bookstore chain and a local lawyer meet violent ends...and Deal starts finding connections. Still, it's not easy for Deal: his estranged wife Janice, is still emotionally and physically scarred from mishaps the last time Deal stepped into the path of the wrong people. But Janice was close to Arch and she's as eager to find the killer as her husband. Working together, they discover that Arch's sister, lately employed by a charismatic revivalist, has disappeared. With the clues pointing north, Deal and Janice set out on a journey to a distant and frigid climate, one that threatens to chill them out for good.
FROM THE CRITICS
Chris Nelson - Calgary Sun
The amount of writing talent blossoming in the sunny climes of Florida is truly astounding. Established authors such as Elmore Leonard, Edna Buchanan, Dave Barry and Carl Hiaasen are being joined by dozens of other writers earmarked for the top. And among the best of the latest bunch is Les Standiford. His Deal series is already a success and this latest effort,Deal on Ice, will do nothing but good for his growing reputation. The Deal in question is building-contractor and sometime detective John Deal, who makes a refreshing change as a private eye without the usual superhuman abilities which always appear to afflict his peers. In Deal on Ice, he finds an old friend and bookseller murdered as a mega-book barn moves in across the street. It's not just coincidence, and more and more corpses quickly start littering the Florida landscape. As the story rattles along, two startlingly different killers emerge — a husband and wife who outwardly resemble a retired Florida couple, yet hide the inner nastiness of geriatric Charlie Mansons. As Deal stumbles on this pair of murderers the plot gets more twisted and leads to the head of a strange cult intent on using the World Wide Web for some type of global domination. It's all heady stuff, but Standiford writes so well and with such pace that the otherwise awkward jumps in the plot are easily forgotten. Even at this early stage it's obvious the Deal series is going to be hugely popular. So readers might as well get in on the ground floor and enjoy the ride.
Art & Photography
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