[Bill Shannon 02] • Bad Karma

In this sequel to Bad Thoughts, Bill Shannon and his ex-wife, Susan, are reunited and living in Boulder, Colorado. When Shannon is hired to investigate the brutal murder of two college students, he finds himself mixed up with evil yoga studios, dangerous Russian mobsters, and worse! Bad Karma introduces a new hard-boiled PI series with a New Age twist.

"Detective Bill Shannon, introduced in Bad Thoughts (2007), is back, and a welcome return it is. Relocated from Boston to Boulder, Shannon has fled the Boston PD for a low-stress lifestyle, picking up a little work on the side as a private eye. But despite his efforts to find psychic and psychological peace of mind after his horrific encounter with Herbert Winters, the demonic serial killer from the earlier novel, Shannon discovers that putting distance between himself and the old evils doesn’t help him escape the new evils. Zeltserman weaves together elements of both mystery and horror genres, as Shannon again finds himself confronting the darkness that roams the boundary beyond one’s physical senses. It’s as though Zeltserman has aimed a 12-gauge sawed-off at smarmy New Age sensitivities and fired off both barrels. Irony abounds, as Shannon unmasks deviant gurus, evil yoga sudios, Russian gangsters, and guys who use their baseball implements in socially unacceptable ways. If you liked the first novel in this series, you’ll love this one." — Elliott Swanson, Booklist

"The violence in this book is more subdued than that in Bad Thoughts, but it's certainly there. The story is also a pretty straightforward p.i. tale, though not without some horror and New Age elements, which once again proves Zeltserman's versatility (he's doing noir novels and Nero Wolfe pastiches in EQMM, among other things). If you haven't read Zeltserman's work, it's time to start." Bill Crider

"Even though this is not SMALL CRIMES part two, don’t let that dissuade you from checking out the Shannon series. It might have its flights into the metaphysical world, but it’s still top-notch P.I. reading. Even for Yankee fans." —Bruce Grossman, Bookgam

"Loads of fun here"-- Drowning Machine

"The novel works on three levels. It’s part clever murder mystery and part personal spiritual journey as Shannon tries to heal his psychological scars and achieve inner peace; it’s also an informed and impartial commentary on the New Age Movement, presenting both the positive and negative aspects the subculture. This might be a standard PI tale in structure, but it shares the ingenuity which has brought a distinctive touch to so much of Zeltserman’s fiction." The Tangled Web