I bring up Goodis because one of his stories, about an elevator operator who is also a hit man, was an inspiration for this novel; give it a read and you’ll find the connection. Goodis’s hero in that story, Freddy Lamb, would have been a hell of a bartender if he wasn’t so busy killing. I haven’t bartended since college and needed a barkeep’s help with the book, not just with mixing the drinks but with the whole feel of what it’s like behind the wood these days. Chris Myers, known online as Chris The Bartender, kindly agreed to read the manuscript and correct my many mistakes. He also gave me many terrific suggestions that found their way into the book. If you are of the noble class of barkeeps and something in the book feels right, thank Chris. And if anything feels dead wrong, blame my editor.
I am incredibly grateful to be part of Thomas & Mercer, working with Daphne Durham, Alan Turkus, Jacque Ben-Zekry, and the rest of the team. My work couldn’t be in better hands. I want to thank the indefatigable David Downing, whose clear-eyed readings kept this book as tight as a spring. Wendy Sherman, my agent, has been incredibly supportive and loyal as my career moves in ever-shifting directions. And finally, as always, I offer unbounded love and gratitude to my children, Nora, Jack, and Michael, and to my wife, Pam Ellen. They are my joy and inspiration.
COMING IN 2014
THE RETURN OF VICTOR CARL
You know what a bagman is. He’s the scurvy errand boy for some fat-faced pol. A dark, malevolent figure in a shady fedora and long leather jacket, the bagman lugs his satchel full of black cash and dirty tricks through the city night, and when he whispers in your ear you shiver because he holds the shiv of his boss’s clout at your throat.
I was a bareheaded lawyer, a credentialed member of the bar, lank and weedy and as threatening as a chipmunk; I was nothing like I imagined a bagman to be. Yet somehow I found myself running errands for a power-mad congressman and carrying a valise filled with illicit cash through the city streets. What had I become? You tell me.
But with bag in hand, was I wrong to believe I was finally heading toward the heights? Was I wrong to hope the raw game of politics could shower me with the riches I so richly deserved? Was I wrong to expect I’d be the barracuda in the cesspool?
Evidently.
BAGMEN
a Victor Carl novel by William Lashner
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William Lashner is the New York Times–bestselling creator of Victor Carl, who has been praised by Booklist as one of mystery’s “most compelling, most morally ambiguous characters.” His crime novels include Blood and Bone, A Killer’s Kiss, Marked Man, Fatal Flaw, Hostile Witness, and The Accounting. His novel Kockroach, published under the name Tyler Knox, was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice selection. Lashner is a former prosecutor with the Department of Justice and a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop; his work has sold worldwide and been translated into more than a dozen languages.
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