At Their Own Game

by Frank Zafiro

  Colin Conway, author of SOME DEGREE OF MURDER and A LITTLE HARMLESS FUN

  “Stefan Kopriva, an ex-River City cop much reviled by his former colleagues, is intrigued when one day he witnesses a beautiful call girl make a package exchange between an old man and a vaguely familiar younger one. When the call girl is severely beaten and the younger man ends up dead, Stef is drawn into a mystery of murder, graft, and blame. Nearly accused of the murders himself, Stef takes a beating to prove his innocence to a bunch of cops who’d rather find him guilty.

  Lots of twists and turns in this book to keep the pages turning. The writing is crisp and straight forward with fast-paced action and a touch of noir. Stef is a well-drawn character, his few friends are people you’d like to know, and the setting is spot on as Mr. Zafiro brings River City and its denizens to life.”

  Carol Crigger, author of THREE SECONDS TO THUNDER

  Some Degree of Murder

  A young woman has been murdered in River City. Police Detective John Tower is assigned to the case but there are few clues to go on. As he digs into the case, he’s soon picking up hints that this murder may not be the killer’s first … or his last.

  Virgil Kelly lives in the shadowy world of the criminal underground. He’s just arrived in River City with a single-minded mission: find his daughter’s killer and bury him.

  In his search for a murderer, Tower uses his experience and training along with all the expertise of modern forensics.

  In the hunt for his prey, Kelley uses intimidation and violence, tools which he wields with precision and anger.

  Virgil Kelley and John Tower are on a collision course.

  Somebody is going to die.

  River City will never be the same.

  “The story is as bleak and cold as a rain washed murder scene…if you’re still in mourning for Robert B Parker, you might want to visit River City and see if that eases the grief a bit.”

  Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader Magazine

  “Some Degree of Murder by Frank Zafiro and Colin Conway couldn’t have a better title…[it] entertainingly examines people, what human nature is, and just what people will do when they’re pushed right to the edge of a cliff, whether it’s anger, grief, greed, or simple survival. Once someone takes that final step over the edge, there’s no telling how far they’ll fall, and all their decisions are relative (a degree) of where they’re currently at.”

  Books N Beans review site

  “What could be better than a new book by a crime fiction author from Spokane? How about a collaborative work by two local crime fiction authors?…the novel’s structure creates some interesting tension. Things that one narrator experiences help add important details to parts of the book told from the other narrator’s point of view. The reader sometimes knows things already that the narrator doesn’t, which may keep people on the edges of their seats during parts of the story…I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime fiction, strong plots and great dialogue. Even people who don’t normally read this type of story will find many things to love about Some Degree of Murder.”

  Brian Triplett, Examiner.com

  “…a masterfully written account of River City crime, the intricacies of penetrating secret societies, and hidden relationships found along the way to solving crimes. So much raw emotion is exposed throughout the entire book, giving each reader an idea of what each character is feeling, from the victims to the families, the police officers and the suspects, the by-standers to the completely ignorant…Some Degree of Murder is a well-written story that is difficult to put down and keps you guessing from start to finish. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, another twist rounds the corner!”

  Rhiannon Leppert, from an Amazon.com review

  Blood on Blood

  Blood on Blood is a hard boiled crime novel by Frank Zafiro and Jim Wilsky available now from Snubnose Press!

  Half-brothers Jerzy and Mick Sawyer are summoned to the prison where their father is dying. On his deathbed, he tells his sons about a diamond heist that he was part of and how some of those diamonds are still out there. He sets the two on a path of cooperation and competition to recover the jewels, each playing to his own strengths and against the other’s weaknesses.

  Jerzy is the quintessential career criminal, fresh out of a short bit and looking to get back into the action right away. Mick is the failed cop and tainted hero struggling to get by with a clean life that doesn’t seem to ever pay off. Both men see this score as their ticket out. They have to work together, but the situation is, as one of the brothers observes, “part Hardy Boys, part Cain and Abel.” Throw the sexy, mysterious Ania into the mix and you have all the ingredients of a classic, hard boiled story set in the Chicago of today.

  “ Blood On Blood is an intense and truly addictive thriller that captures you immediately and holds you bound until the last page. A fast paced, absorbing crime novel, with characters who still linger darkly on the edge of my thoughts.”

  Julia Madeleine, author of The Truth About Scarlet Rose

  ” Blood on Blood is a gripping tale of two brothers racing against time to find missing diamonds in Chicago…[t]he authors keep readers guessing in a very satisfying way.”

  Brian Triplett, Examiner.com

  “[T]he last line…will hit you right between the eyes. I didn’t expect the ending; the action was so relentless and fast-moving I didn’t have time to consider the possible outcome—but it works, and works very neatly…This is one of the most brutal and violent books from Frank Zafiro yet. [Zafiro and Wilsky] have produced a book that will be popular with those who like their crime raw and hard.”

  Karen Treanor, New Mystery Magazine

  Queen of Diamonds

  Queen of Diamonds is a hard boiled crime novel by Frank Zafiro and Jim Wilsky from Snubnose Press!

  When Ania Kozak hits Vegas, she’s only looking for a place to relax and lay low with her stolen cash and diamonds. But Sin City has other plans for “Annie.”

  Cord Needham is a poker circuit champion with an eye for the ladies and a dark secret in his past. Casey Brunnell is a former baseball player fighting the cards and running up debts to a local mobster. When Annie decides to play a dangerous game with both of them, the stakes go through the roof. Everyone scrambles to beat the odds and get out of town with the money…and their lives.

  “ Queen of Diamonds is the second collaboration between Frank Zafiro and Jim Wilsky and it’s a partnership that runs like a well-oiled machine…I’ve read a lot of books set in Las Vegas, but there are very few I have enjoyed more.”

  -Chris Leek, independent reviewer

  “They are able to capture that odd mixture of psychology, math skills and pure luck that can help people excel at Texas Hold ‘Em in a way that anyone could understand. They show a strong understanding of the game and why some people treat gambling for money like a career…[the authors] are able to keep readers guessing right up until the last few chapters when their plot threads finally all come together. They manage to both frustrate some expectations readers may have and bring everything to a satisfying conclusion.”

  -Brian Triplett, Examiner.com

  Closing the Circle

  In Closing the Circle , Frank Zafiro and Jim Wilsky team up for the third installment in the saga of Ania, the siren grifter who starred in Blood on Blood and Queen of Diamonds .

  John Pearse is a loss recovery agent for an insurance agency. When a set of crown jewels that his company paid out on resurface in the middle of a Russian/Polish mafia war in Chicago, Pearse is sent in to find and recover the diamonds. Standing in his ways are gangsters, grifters, and cops, but the biggest obstacle will be the sexy Ania, who has manage
d to stay one step of everyone else…until now.

  Andros Krol is muscle for the Polish mafia in Chicago, tasked by his boss to bring back more than just the diamonds. Strong and cunning, Krol is after the money Ania took, but his biggest priority is to deliver brutal justice and a final day of reckoning for Ania.

  Pearse and Krol are locked into a race against time and each other as they pursue the wily Ania.

  The circle is closing on all of them.

  At This Point in My Life

  Jack “Mac” McCrae is about to retire. Without children or any family, he looks back over his career and his life and finds himself wondering what, if any, impact he’s had on this world.

  Then a young woman reappears with a photograph of her mother — and his old lover — and an unknown child that might be her sister…and his daughter.

  Mac agrees to accompany her to a small town in Oregon to get to the bottom of this mystery. Who is the little girl in the photograph? Is she his daughter? And where is she now?

  But Mac discovers that no one in this small town wants to answer or even acknowledge these questions. He will have to find a way to overcome the stranglehold that the Tate family has on the town and work his way to the truth about who the little girl is.

  “[A] powerful examination of love, loss, regret and justice.”

  - Brian Triplett, Examiner.com

  Chisolm’s Debt

  After two tours in Vietnam and 25 years as a police officer, Thomas Chisolm is looking forward to a quiet retirement. That hope is quickly shattered when Mai, a ghost from his past, finds him and demands justice for the horrors she suffered during the Vietnam War…horrors Chisolm couldn't save her from.

  Now Chisolm must find the man responsible and bring him to justice to repay an old debt and in the hopes of putting his own demons to rest…once and for all.

  Chisolm’s Debt is written by River City author Frank Zafiro and features one of River City’s iconic characters. Follow Chisolm on his search as he explores the nature of moral debt, war, forgiveness, and guilt on his way to an explosive ending.

  The Trade Off

  How deep into the sex slave industry will you go to save someone you love? How far will your duty take you?

  On the surface, Heather Williams buys and sells young women in a burgeoning underground sex trade. But not everything is as it seems. She is really “Gus” MacIntyre, and undercover detective, targeting human traffickers and rescuing the desperate women they enslave. But how far will she go to stop them? And where does her job end, and duty begin?

  “Bull” Porter seems like a prototypical macho hunter who owns a sporting goods store. But when his niece Taylor suddenly disappears, he plunges into the search for her with the same ferocity he stalks prey in the wilderness. The only difference is that this hunt takes place on the dirty streets of the city’s underbelly, and the hunted can turn the tables in an instant. How far will Bull go to save his niece?

  As Gus and Bull battle with human traffickers to recover Taylor, both must face their own struggles and secrets…and eventually each other. Faced with political pressure and a ticking clock, they soon realize that nothing is free in this world. Nothing comes easy. For everything, there is a trade-off.

  The Trade Off is a crime novel written with Bonnie R. Paulson. The book is written in a dual first person narrative format, giving the reader the intimacy of the first person as well as the breadth of knowledge that comes with third person narrations. An additional point of interest for the reader: the male character of Bull was written by Bonnie R. Paulson, while Frank Zafiro wrote the female character of Gus.

  As Frank Scalise

  The Hardest Hit:

  A Sam the Hockey Player Novel

  Eleven year old Sam Parker loves to play hockey. But this is the year that he will start body-checking. His natural fear of getting hit is temporarily overshadowed by finding out his parents are getting divorced.

  Determined to keep them together by being a hockey superstar, Sam instead suffers a bone-crunching check from the school bully in his first game of the season. The resulting pain and fear brings out the worst in Sam as one difficulty after another piles on. Even his best friend, Jill, doesn't always seem to understand what he's going through.

  When will his head stop hurting? Will he ever be able to play hockey again? How can he keep his parents together? Or can he? It will take everything Sam has to bounce back. Every one of his problems feel like ...the hardest hit.

  The Hardest Hit is part of the Sam the Hockey Player series.

  All That Counts

  All That Counts is a novel about life and a man's discovery about what is truly important in it.

  Graham Wilson is a thirty-something recreational hockey player who decides to follow a long-held desire to become a goaltender. His transition is both comedic and inspiring as he seeks to challenge himself in the midst of a mundane life. Also on display is the curious paradox of the recreational game in American culture (i.e., it means everything, but it is only a game, but it is more than a game, but...). When his team's regular goalie leaves, Graham steps unsteadily into the crease, causing conflict on a team that is used to winning.

  Graham's journey is a microcosm of life. Humor, inspiration, camaraderie, love and spite all make their appearances both on and off the ice as Graham struggles to learn what truly is "all that counts."

  “With a nod toward Spokane’s long puck tradition, All That Counts is a book about life and hockey that you will love. Will Graham’s vision quest is something we can all understand and cheer for and his inspiring journey reveals the wonder and absolute joy that hockey brings into this world.”

  Mark Rypien

  (NFL Quarterback and Superbowl XXVI MVP)

  “ All That Counts is a must read for anyone who has ever laced ‘em up. The locker room banter combined with the on ice antics are so true at all levels of hockey. The book made Eagles Ice Arena come alive in my hands. I can visualize the walk down the stairs and going down onto the ice. Nothing’s better in recreational hockey after the game than a cold shower topped off with a cold one. Frank does a great job combining the real life and on ice drama. No hockey fan should miss out on this entertaining read.”

  Head Coach Bill Peters, Rockford Ice Hogs

  (Spokane Chiefs, 1996-97, 1999-02, 2005-08)

  “All That Counts by Frank Scalise is an intriguing read for any avid hockey player, hockey fan, or sports fan alike. His ability to incorporate the intangible, unique elements of hockey with the always changing aspects of life outside of hockey provides an exciting read from cover to cover. Frank's writing style provided an easy read, as well as keeping me hooked until the very end. People will be able to draw connections to their own lives through Graham's experiences. I enjoyed the story, and would recommend it to anybody that enjoys sports and good books.”

  Derek Ryan

  (Spokane Chiefs, 2003-07)

  "ALL THAT COUNTS is full of hard-hitting hockey action, great locker room banter, lots of laughs and realistic, touching relationships. Players at all levels, hockey fans and newcomers alike will enjoy this Spokane hockey tale. Scalise really captures how hockey is a one of a kind sport that brings people together in a way that can't be explained until you slap some skates on and see it for yourself.”

  Cam Severson

  (Spokane Chiefs, 1997-99)

  "Scalise knows what counts…from that insatiable itch that draws a wannabe goalie to the crease and into the inevitable struggles that come with the job. He’s captured the essence of goalkeeping in so many ways: the first infuriating attempt at strapping on the pads, the never-ending study of the game, and agonizing over those big, blazing scoreboard numbers. The reader grows convi
ncingly with Gray through his self-doubt, embarrassment, and finally to the grains of confidence which soon pile up into a mountain of swagger that separates the goaltender from the rest of hockey. As I read this book, I can smell the stink of used gear, hear the crunch of steel blades on a fresh sheet of ice, and feel the thud of a hard shot well stopped. But while Scalise is obviously at ease in the Rangers' raucous rec league locker room, he is not the least bit afraid to peel off the stinky gear and expose Gray's tender side while he and his wife embark on a life-altering journey. Scalise shows us that what’s on the scoreboard is truly not all that counts."

  Jill Maser

  Goaltender, University of Pennsylvania (retired)

  Author of the romance novel, Red Passion

  “This was a great book. It really highlights the challenges of a new goalie and how to work through them.”

  Brad Moon

  Former WHL goaltender

  Get your copy in any format wherever books and eBooks are sold! Also, look for Frank Zafiro/Frank Scalise titles in audio book format!