Drawing Dead

By Pete Hautman

After losing a poker hand to a sleazy stockbroker, an ex-cop must work to pay off his debt.

Before cocaine, Joe Crow had a wife and a job with the Big River Police Department. Now he has neither -- and he's left behind coke, too. Sober, quiet, and reflective, his only vice is poker. One night he gets into trouble, and winds up in debt to the drug-addled slimeball Dickie Wicky. As repayment, Crow agrees to do Dickie a favor.

Dickie thinks his wife, a slender young thing called Catfish, is running around on him. He wants Crow to find her lover and pay him to leave her alone. But Catfish has charms and troubles of her own, and she will draw Crow into the underbelly of Minnesota -- a world of drugs, murder, and the dangerous business of counterfeit comic books. This girl is one fish that Crow should have thrown back.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Release date: Jun 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781784085308

Pete Hautman

Pete Hautman is the author of National Book Award–winning novel Godless, Sweetblood, Hole in the Sky, Stone Cold, The Flinkwater Factor, The Forgetting Machine, and Mr. Was, which was nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America, as well as several adult novels. He lives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Visit him at PeteHautman.com.  

Reviews for Drawing Dead

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good story but not as engaging as I might have hoped. The characterizations were terrific, but the plot had holes in it. Still I might be inclined to try another of his books because I saw a lot of promise in his writing. Joe Crow, the protagonist, was probably one of the weakest characters. I'll have to see if Hautman has other "heroes" that may appeal to me moreso.

[mikedraper · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Con men Tommy Campo and Ben Fink operate the Tom and Ben Show specializing in comic books. They profess to sell collectible comics with one buyer the mobster, Joey C (Joseph Battagno). The comics are enclosed in a Stasis Shield and aren't supposed to be opened because it would diminish their value.This works fine until Joey lets his girlfriend open one of the comics and when she sees blank pages inside, Joey becomes incensed. He sends his henchman Freddy Wisnesky after the perpetrators of the fraud to teach them a lesson.The trail goes to Minnesota where we meet Joe Crowe a former cop and cocaine addict who enjoys gambling. He's hired by stockbroker Dicky Wicky to find the man having an affair with his wife and try to buy the man off.Dickie becomes connected to the scheme to sell the comic books and the result is one humorous moment after another.The author does a good job in describing the characters and making them interesting. I enjoyed comparing Dickie Wicky to the character in Get Shorty and thinking of Danny DeVito.Well written and a good reading experience.