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Start giftingThe Contractors
Private military contractors. They’re not just for foreign wars anymore. Jon Cantrell, a disgraced ex-cop, works for one such company. He's a DEA agent paid on a commission basis, patrolling one of the busiest drug-hubs in the country: Dallas, Texas.
When Cantrell and his partner and sometimes lover confiscate the wrong shipment of drugs, they find themselves in possession of a star witness in an upcoming cartel trial that could destroy the largest criminal organization in the hemisphere.
To turn a profit, all they have to do is safely deliver the witness to the US Attorney on the other side of the state. An easy trip, except the witness doesn’t want to go and a group of competing DEA contractors and a corrupt Dallas police officer want everybody involved dead.
This heart-stopping thriller takes readers deep into a strange underworld where the lines between government officials and mercenaries blur. In this complex network of drug traffickers, cartels, politicians, and police, no one's hands are clean.
Harry Hunsicker is the former executive vice president of the Mystery Writers of America and the author of three previous novels, crime thrillers set in Texas. His debut novel, Still River, was nominated for a Shamus Award by the Private Eye Writers of America. His short fiction has been nominated for the Thriller Award by the International Thriller Writers and selected for inclusion in The Best American Mystery Stories of 2011, edited by Otto Penzler and Harlan Coben. Hunsicker lives in Dallas, a fourth-generation native of the city. When not writing, he works as a commercial real estate appraiser and an occasional speaker on the creative process.
Reviews
“With The Contractors, Hunsicker delivers a compelling thriller, a high-power rollercoaster ride across the dusty plains of West Texas and the back streets of Dallas.” —Harlan Coben, international bestselling Author of Missing You and Six Years
“Hunsicker’s latest book imagines a frightening scenario: private military contractors—the corporate soldiers usually found roaming the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan—are operating within the borders of the United States. With a relentless pace and doses of black humor, Hunsicker creates a thrilling combination of What-If with an altogether plausible What-Actually-Might-Be, giving the reader a remarkable post-9/11,War-on-Drugs novel.” —David Morrell, bestselling author of First Blood, and The Brotherhood of the Rose
“The Contractors is the fully-loaded model with all the options. With streetwise and wisecracking Jon Cantrell and Piper at the wheel, they take the reader for one hell of a ride through the drug and crime-ravaged parts of Texas that don’t appear on picture postcards or tourist brochures. Hunsicker’s eye for detail, sense of place, and his snappy dialogue shine through.” —Reed Farrel Coleman, three-time Shamus Award–winning author of Hurt Machine
“The Contractors is film noir without the film, cyberpunk without the cyber. It’s a world to lose yourself in, a fascinating tale that lives in shades of grey. The prose is muscular, the images vivid, and the pace relentless. Simply put, Hunsicker kills it.” —Marcus Sakey, bestselling author of Brilliance
“If you’re looking for a new favorite author, read The Contractors...[The book] reads like a treatment for a new Quentin Tarantino film, full of quirky—and dangerous—characters, twists and turns, and enough action to fill another two or three books.” —Book Reporter
“Part of the fun of Hunsicker’s thrillers is trying to figure out how the characters will get out of the invariable jam. Hunsicker doesn’t disappoint with The Contractors.” —Austin American-Statesman
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