The Spiked Heel

By Ed McBain

For three generations, footwear company Julian Kahn has been synonymous with high fashion. And for Raymond "Griff" Griffin, head of Kahn's cost department, it would be a perfect place to work were it not for Mr. Kurz. A petty tyrant installed by the bank when ownership's grip on the company began to slip, Kurz has made the life hell for every one of his employees. When he's fired, Griff and the other executives rejoice, unaware that things are about to get a whole lot worse. The Kahns are selling the company to multinational conglomerate Titanic Shoe, and to oversee the transition, Titanic sends the devil in the form of Jefferson McQuade. A brute of the boardroom whose specialty is psychological warfare, McQuade hasn't come to oversee a merger, but to break the company's soul. His first target is Griff, but this exec has never been one to back down. In the battle for Julian Kahn, the stakes are far higher than the cost of a simple shoe factory: Griff will have to fight for his life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: mysteriouspress.com
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781788540513

Ed McBain

Ed McBain, a recipient of the Mystery Writers of America's coveted Grand Master Award, was also the first American to receive the Diamond Dagger, the British Crime Writers Association's highest award. His books have sold more than one hundred million copies, ranging from the more than fifty titles in the 87th Precinct series (including the Edgar Award–nominated Money, Money, Money) to the bestselling novels written under his own name, Evan Hunter—including The Blackboard Jungle (now in a fiftieth anniversary edition from Pocket Books) and Criminal Conversation. Fiddlers, his final 87th Precinct novel, was recently published in hardcover. Writing as both Ed McBain and Evan Hunter, he broke new ground with Candyland, a novel in two parts. He also wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. He died in 2005. Visit EdMcBain.com.