Under a Raging Moon
A violent robber is loose in River City. Meet the cops that must take him down.
Stefan Kopriva, a young hotshot. Katie MacLeod, a woman in what is still mostly a man’s world. Karl Winter, about to retire but with one more good bust left in him. And Thomas Chisolm, a former Green Beret who knows how dangerous a man like the Scarface Robber can be.
These are the patrol officers of River City – that mythical thin blue line between society and anarchy. They must stop the robber, all the while juggling divorces, love affairs, internal politics, a hostile media, vengeful gang members and a civilian population that isn’t always understanding or even grateful.
Written by a real cop with real experience, Under a Raging Moon is like a paperback ride-along. Enjoy the ride.
Under a Raging Moon is the first River City novel.
“Engrossing, fast-paced, suspenseful...highly recommended.”
LJ Roberts, DorothyL Mystery List
“Gritty, profane, and compelling.”
Lawrence McMicking, curledup.com
“If you like McBain, or any gritty police procedural, then Zafiro is someone for you to pick up, enjoy, and then wait for the next book.”
PJ Coldren, Amazon.com review
“Under A Raging Moon is an extraordinary crime novel. Like Ed McBain’s Isola, River City is a combination of the best and worst of the human species, and its cops are as complex and haunted as the criminals they battle each day. Frank Zafiro has created a gritty, totally authentic world with believable characters, nonstop action, and snappy dialogue (think Hill Street Blues in Washington state). Don’t miss this book–It’ll keep you turning pages well into the moonlit night.”
John M. Floyd, award-winning author of Rainbow's End
“In Under a Raging Moon, Frank Zafiro doesn’t tell you about the mean streets, he takes you to them with clear, concise writing as solid as the asphalt beneath your feet. You feel the tension between those out there to prey and those there to protect. You feel the anxiety of knowing every routine traffic stop could turn into a killing, and every junkie and pusher you bust wants you dead. He also takes you deep behind the badge. His ensemble cast of cops have issues within themselves and with each other and can’t leave them at home any more than we can. You’ll be there with them in the squad room, in the patrol cars and in their favorite watering hole.
“Frank Zafiro has woven a powerful story with realistic, memorable characters, a suspenseful plot and a climax that will leave you breathless. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it would be like to put on the blue uniform, wear a badge and carry a gun, this one is highly recommended.”
Earl Staggs, Derringer Award-winning author
“Zafiro shows his readers some of the grim realities of law enforcement.”
Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
Heroes Often Fail
The men and women of the River City Police Department are sworn to protect and to serve. But when six-year-old girl is kidnapped off a residential street in broad daylight, each cop must rise to heroic levels. Detectives scramble to solve the kidnapping while patrol officers comb the streets looking for the missing girl. Racing against time, every cop on the job focuses on finding her. Before it is too late. Before they fail her.
Heroes Often Fail is the second River City Crime Novel
“[a] complex police procedural with multi layered characters, a rich setting, and plenty of action.”
Kevin Tipple, independent reviewer
“[An] affecting novel from a writer who knows not only the job, but the grueling toll certain cases can take on the victims and those charged with upholding law and order.”
Russel McLean, Crime Scene Scotland.
"Strap yourself in for this citizen’s ride-along! Frank Zafiro pits cop against perp in the race to save six-year-old kidnap victim Amy Dugger. The problem for the River City PD is that Amy’s abductor isn’t the only creep in town. Zafiro not only drops us right into the precinct during business hours, but he also succeeds at presenting the human side of cops. We come to know these men and women who risk everything to do their duty. We hope they become heroes. And we pray they do not fail."
Jill Maser, award-winning author of “Unspoken.”
“Heroes Often Fail is a riveting, intimate account of a parent’s worst nightmare and the men and women of the River City Police Department. The author skillfully portrays the protagonist’s inner conflict. Moving and real. Impossible not to get caught up in the emotional roller coaster crafted by this talented writer.”
T. Dawn Richard, author of the May List Mystery Series
“Heroes Often Fail delivers what we've come to expect from Frank Zafiro—sharp-edged dialogue, vivid characters, and an intimate knowledge of the way things work in an urban police department. A tense, frightening tale, and the best River City novel to date.”
John M. Floyd, award-winning author of Rainbow's End
“Heroes Often Fail could be one of the most authentic police procedurals I've read. The story appears deceptively simple—a six-year old girl snatched from the streets, but as it jumps around between the lives of the detectives and uniformed officers trying to find her, it adds a more layered, sophisticated texture. Written in short chapters and lean, muscular prose, this is an exceptionally satisfying and engrossing read, and a book that would've made Ed McBain proud!”
Dave Zeltserman, author of Bad Thoughts
“A standout amongst police procedurals, Frank Zafiro's Heroes Often Fail does the job of not only showing the nuances of police work, but also the effects of crime on the victims. In a literary world populated (and dulled) by shiny lab technicians and ridiculously elaborate set pieces, Mr. Zafiro never forgets the dirt under the nails approach and the heart of any great story - the characters. The writing is brutally dark and jolting in places, hopeful in others, not an easy balancing act that Mr. Zafiro pulls off seamlessly. A small(er) town offspring of Wambaugh and McBain, it stands amongst the greats and finds enough room to be completely on its own terms.”
Todd Robinson, editor of Thuglit
“A riveting, suspenseful novel in both the human condition as well as storyline. Excellent!”
Cynthia Lea Clark, FMAM Magazine
“[T]he book presents a realistic and depressing look at how crime affects both the victims and the police officers who try to protect the public.”
Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
Beneath a Weeping Sky
River City is plagued by a serial rapist. His attacks are becoming more brutal and Detective John Tower is sure that he’ll go from rape to murder if he isn’t stopped soon.
Meanwhile, the rapes stir up ghosts for both Officer Katie MacLeod and Officer Thomas Chisolm. Both struggle to put those haunted memories to rest even as they are drawn into the center of Tower’s investigation. When a series of mis-steps and near misses push the rapist even further, everyone involved must face their old fears...or be destroyed by them.
Beneath a Weeping Sky is the third River City novel.
"Frank Zafiro channels Ed McBain and Joesph Wambaugh in this taut and frightening thriller."
Simon Wood, author of Terminated
“Frank Zafiro's River City series succeeds where so many fail of late, in not only delivering whipcrack plotlines, but characters as real as the breath in your lungs. You feel with them, rage with them, and bleed alongside these cops. Mr. Zafiro's writing deserves more than comparison with the greats of the police procedural sect, it holds it's own amongst them.”
Todd Robinson, editor of Thuglit
And Every Man Has to Die
Every city has organized crime. But only River City has a Russian gangster like Valeriy. He's meticulous, cunning, and willing to sacrifice anything—and anyone—to see his conquest through.
In Val's way are the men and women of the River City Police Department, including rookie B.J. Carson. She's trying to fill the shoes of a legend while the pressures of patrol and her own past catch up to her. She and her colleagues must unite and work together with a former River City cop turned FBI agent to face down the single biggest organized crime threat River City has ever seen.
In this novel, Frank Zafiro explores what honor and courage mean on both sides of the law, weaving a complex and engrossing story of crime, justice, and relationships. There are plotters and detectives, usurpers and leaders. Plans within plans. And in the end the price of victory and justice can both be high... and every man has to die.
And Every Man Has to Die is the fourth River City novel.
“The novel has a complex plot...that Zafiro has woven together with seeming ease."
Debbi Mack, author of Identity Crisis and Least Wanted
"Possibly the most complicated and hard hitting novel in the series...Frank Zafiro has created another gem."
Kevin Tipple, independent reviewer
"...the crime genre prides itself on pacing, and this is where Zafiro delivers."
The Inlander
“I’ve always been amazed over how well Zafiro handles the female perspective in the past books—mostly through MacLeod’s point of view—and in And Every Man Has to Die he proves that strong believable characters is definitely his forte, no matter which gender they are. If you like well written, fast paced novel with great characters, then the River City series is definitely for you.”
Asa Bradley, bark
“There are many wonderful things to savor in the novel.”
Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
"This book should put Frank Zafiro on the fast track."
Wil A. Emerson, BookFetish
“This was a compelling read...even though I had to use a Kindle app on my PC. I soon forgot that as I scrolled faster and faster through the involving story. This book deserves wider recognition; perhaps someone will bring it to the attention of a film-maker, as it would make an excellent movie with its short, sharp scenes and rapid pace.”
Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader Magazine
Waist Deep
When disgraced former cop Stefan Kopriva is asked by an old high school classmate to find a runaway sixteen year old girl, he reluctantly accepts. Driven by guilt over a terrible mistake that drove him from the force more than ten years earlier, Kopriva battles old injuries, old demons and long ago memories as he unravels the mystery of the missing Kris Sinderling... and seeks his own redemption.
Waist Deep is the first Stefan Kopriva Mystery.
“A powerful tale of corruption and redemption.”
Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
“This book...brought Humphrey Bogart to my mind. This is his sort of story, and if there were an actor of that type around today, this book could make a confronting and probably prize-winning film...definitely worth the price of admission.”
Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader Magazine
“Waist Deep is a hard-hitting story of a flawed hero trying to exorcise his demons. the subject matter explores dark moral territory, it's arguably not horribly shocking compared to certain real life situations taking place today. Further, in the best hardboiled tradition, finding the truth involves unearthing the scum from beneath the veneer of respectability.”
Debbi Mack, author of Identity Crisis and Least Wanted
Lovely, Dark, and Deep
In this sequel to Waist Deep, a city councilman is dead of an apparent suicide. Ex-cop Stefan Kopriva finds himself drawn into the case, serving an unlikely client. Once involved, he discovers that things are not as they seem.
Kopriva is quickly embroiled in dirty city politics. Along the way, he encounters pimps, prostitutes, gangsters, contractors, and the police as he tries to get to the bottom of what happened, and why. That is something no one wants, so Kopriva must risk his own freedom and his very life to find the answers, no matter how deep the corruption goes.
Lovely, Dark, and Deep is the second Stefan Kopriva Mystery.
“Zafiro does a masterful job of taking noir detective genre conventions and turning them on their heads just a little. Kopriva wants to be like Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, but he just doesn’t quite have the skills or the moral fortitude to completely succeed at it.”
Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
“Zafiro nails the truth like a properly thrown jab/cross combo. You won’t see it coming until it smacks you in the nose.”
Colin Conway, author of SOME DEGREE OF MURDER and A LITTLE HARMLESS FUN
“Stefan Kopriva, an ex-River City cop much reviled by his former colleagues, is intrigued when one day he witnesses a beautiful call girl make a package exchange between an old man and a vaguely familiar younger one. When the call girl is severely beaten and the younger man ends up dead, Stef is drawn into a mystery of murder, graft, and blame. Nearly accused of the murders himself, Stef takes a beating to prove his innocence to a bunch of cops who’d rather find him guilty.
Lots of twists and turns in this book to keep the pages turning. The writing is crisp and straight forward with fast-paced action and a touch of noir. Stef is a well-drawn character, his few friends are people you’d like to know, and the setting is spot on as Mr. Zafiro brings River City and its denizens to life.”
Carol Crigger, author of THREE SECONDS TO THUNDER
Some Degree of Murder
A young woman has been murdered in River City. Police Detective John Tower is assigned to the case but there are few clues to go on. As he digs into the case, he’s soon picking up hints that this murder may not be the killer’s first ... or his last.
Virgil Kelly lives in the shadowy world of the criminal underground. He’s just arrived in River City with a single-minded mission: find his daughter’s killer and bury him.
In his search for a murderer, Tower uses his experience and training along with all the expertise of modern forensics.
In the hunt for his prey, Kelley uses intimidation and violence, tools which he wields with precision and anger.
Virgil Kelley and John Tower are on a collision course.
Somebody is going to die.
River City will never be the same.
“The story is as bleak and cold as a rain washed murder scene...if you’re still in mourning for Robert B Parker, you might want to visit River City and see if that eases the grief a bit.”
Karen Treanor, New Mystery Reader Magazine
“Some Degree of Murder by Frank Zafiro and Colin Conway couldn’t have a better title...[it] entertainingly examines people, what human nature is, and just what people will do when they’re pushed right to the edge of a cliff, whether it’s anger, grief, greed, or simple survival. Once someone takes that final step over the edge, there’s no telling how far they’ll fall, and all their decisions are relative (a degree) of where they’re currently at.”
Books N Beans review site
“What could be better than a new book by a crime fiction author from Spokane? How about a collaborative work by two local crime fiction authors?...the novel’s structure creates some interesting tension. Things that one narrator experiences help add important details to parts of the book told from the other narrator’s point of view. The reader sometimes knows things already that the narrator doesn’t, which may keep people on the edges of their seats during parts of the story...I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime fiction, strong plots and great dialogue. Even people who don’t normally read this type of story will find many things to love about Some Degree of Murder.”
Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
“...a masterfully written account of River City crime, the intricacies of penetrating secret societies, and hidden relationships found along the way to solving crimes. So much raw emotion is exposed throughout the entire book, giving each reader an idea of what each character is feeling, from the victims to the families, the police officers and the suspects, the by-standers to the completely ignorant...Some Degree of Murder is a well-written story that is difficult to put down and keps you guessing from start to finish. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, another twist rounds the corner!”
Rhiannon Leppert, from an Amazon.com review
Blood on Blood
Blood on Blood is a hard boiled crime novel by Frank Zafiro and Jim Wilsky, the first of the Ania Trilogy.
Half-brothers Jerzy and Mick Sawyer are summoned to the prison where their father is dying. On his deathbed, he tells his sons about a diamond heist that he was part of and how some of those diamonds are still out there. He sets the two on a path of cooperation and competition to recover the jewels, each playing to his own strengths and against the other’s weaknesses.
Jerzy is the quintessential career criminal, fresh out of a short bit and looking to get back into the action right away. Mick is the failed cop and tainted hero struggling to get by with a clean life that doesn’t seem to ever pay off. Both men see this score as their ticket out. They have to work together, but the situation is, as one of the brothers observes, “part Hardy Boys, part Cain and Abel.” Throw the sexy, mysterious Ania into the mix and you have all the ingredients of a classic, hard boiled story set in the Chicago of today.
“Blood On Blood is an intense and truly addictive thriller that captures you immediately and holds you bound until the last page. A fast paced, absorbing crime novel, with characters who still linger darkly on the edge of my thoughts.”
Julia Madeleine, author of The Truth About Scarlet Rose
”Blood on Blood is a gripping tale of two brothers racing against time to find missing diamonds in Chicago...[t]he authors keep readers guessing in a very satisfying way.”
Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
“[T]he last line...will hit you right between the eyes. I didn’t expect the ending; the action was so relentless and fast-moving I didn’t have time to consider the possible outcome—but it works, and works very neatly...This is one of the most brutal and violent books from Frank Zafiro yet. [Zafiro and Wilsky] have produced a book that will be popular with those who like their crime raw and hard.”
Karen Treanor, New Mystery Magazine
Queen of Diamonds
Queen of Diamonds is a hard boiled crime novel by Frank Zafiro and Jim Wilsky, the second of the Ania Trilogy.
When Ania Kozak hits Vegas, she’s only looking for a place to relax and lay low with her stolen cash and diamonds. But Sin City has other plans for “Annie.”
Cord Needham is a poker circuit champion with an eye for the ladies and a dark secret in his past. Casey Brunnell is a former baseball player fighting the cards and running up debts to a local mobster. When Annie decides to play a dangerous game with both of them, the stakes go through the roof. Everyone scrambles to beat the odds and get out of town with the money...and their lives.
“Queen of Diamonds is the second collaboration between Frank Zafiro and Jim Wilsky and it’s a partnership that runs like a well-oiled machine...I’ve read a lot of books set in Las Vegas, but there are very few I have enjoyed more.”
-Chris Leek, independent reviewer
“They are able to capture that odd mixture of psychology, math skills and pure luck that can help people excel at Texas Hold ‘Em in a way that anyone could understand. They show a strong understanding of the game and why some people treat gambling for money like a career...[the authors] are able to keep readers guessing right up until the last few chapters when their plot threads finally all come together. They manage to both frustrate some expectations readers may have and bring everything to a satisfying conclusion.”
-Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
Closing the Circle
In Closing the Circle, Frank Zafiro and Jim Wilsky team up for the third installment in the saga of Ania Trilogy.
John Pearse is a loss recovery agent for an insurance agency. When a set of crown jewels that his company paid out on resurface in the middle of a Russian/Polish mafia war in Chicago, Pearse is sent in to find and recover the diamonds. Standing in his ways are gangsters, grifters, and cops, but the biggest obstacle will be the sexy Ania, who has managed to stay one step of everyone else...until now.
Andros Krol is muscle for the Polish mafia in Chicago, tasked by his boss to bring back more than just the diamonds. Strong and cunning, Krol is after the money Ania took, but his biggest priority is to deliver brutal justice and a final day of reckoning for Ania.
Pearse and Krol are locked into a race against time and each other as they pursue the wily Ania.
The circle is closing on all of them.
“Brings the trilogy that started with “Blood on Blood” and continued in “Queen of Diamonds” to an epic finale that is sure to satisfy...a very fun caper story that will appeal to mystery lovers, crime fiction buffs and anyone who loves a good heist movie.”
-Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
“If you loved the first two books in this series you're going to love Closing the Circle as the third book in the Ania trilogy. It pulled all of the characters together from the previous two books into another suspenseful adventure trying to find the dangerously beautiful girl Ania Kozak.
What will Ania do next? Will the men chasing her find her? Will she get away this time? You'll have to read to find out!”
-Kara Hooper, from a 5-star Amazon.com review
At Their Own Game
Jake Stankovic has been flying below the radar for years, dealing safely in stolen property crime with his two-man crew. But times are tough, so he decides to step up to the big money with a drug deal. Everything that can go wrong, does. The deal goes bad, a vengeful detective sets his sights on Jake, one of his crew might be a turncoat, and a woman from a long past affair suddenly reappears. All of this would be complicated enough on it’s own, but for Jake, it’s even worse.
The woman is the detective’s ex-wife.
And Jake Stankovic used to be a cop.
Now Jake must face new problems and old vendettas in an all-in proposition with lives on the line. He has to find a way to get his money back, keep the girl, and beat everyone involved...At Their Own Game.
“A suspenseful descent into darkness... [Zafiro] elevates the story beyond just an entertaining caper story to being a profound examination of good, evil, betrayal, revenge and many other things that have been central to human existence since the dawn of history.”
-Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
“This story absolutely sizzles with intrigue.”
-Beverly Clark, from a 5-star Amazon.com review
“The book was so captivating I couldn’t put it down till I had finished the last page at 2:30 AM!”
-Thea Childs, from a 5-star Amazon.com review
“A brief, tight, criminally intense story of destructive behavior masked by “good” intentions, AT THEIR OWN GAME puts its finger right on the pulse of the ever-sinful human heart.”
-Ned Hayes, author of SINFUL FOLK
“This taut tale, which moves at the relentless pace of a silver bullet, will keep fans of the genre quite happy.”
-Anthony Venutolo, author of PALOOKAVILLE
“It is a compelling story, with great twists and turns, but one that makes us question our own morals.”
-Shirley Ford, independent reviewer
The Last Horseman
Sandy Banks is the last of The Four Horsemen, a vigilante group of ex-cops determined to right the injustices of a broken court system. But now the project is disintegrating, putting him in the middle of chaos. Betrayed by his final partner, blackmailed by the project head and pursued by federal agents bent on busting the case wide open, Sandy scrambles to escape this mayhem with his soul intact.
“A fast-paced, suspenseful story about crime, corruption and street justice.”
Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
“Frank Zafiro has stepped up his game considerably in this thriller/police procedural/crime novel. The plot is packed with startling plot twists, one after the other, that knit together as a whole as seamlessly as any book I've ever read...this book kept me turning the pages late into the night...highly recommended. As if I have to spell that out.”
Debbi Mack, author of Identity Crisis and Least Wanted
“The kind of novel that sucks you up and takes you full-barrel on an action-packed adventure that feels gritty, authentic and engaging. Frank Zafiro has a talent for writing that captures the reader and makes you connect with the characters and story in an exhilarating way. The story is lush, vivid, thrilling and fast-paced...”
L. Collins, from a 5-star Amazon.com review
At This Point in My Life
Jack “Mac” McCrae is about to retire. Without children or any family, he looks back over his career and his life and finds himself wondering what, if any, impact he’s had on this world.
Then a young woman reappears with a photograph of her mother — and his old lover — and an unknown child that might be her sister...and his daughter.
Mac agrees to accompany her to a small town in Oregon to get to the bottom of this mystery. Who is the little girl in the photograph? Is she his daughter? And where is she now?
But Mac discovers that no one in this small town wants to answer or even acknowledge these questions. He will have to find a way to overcome the stranglehold that the Tate family has on the town and work his way to the truth about who the little girl is.
“[A] powerful examination of love, loss, regret and justice.”
- Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
Chisolm’s Debt
After two tours in Vietnam and 25 years as a police officer, Thomas Chisolm is looking forward to a quiet retirement. That hope is quickly shattered when Mai, a ghost from his past, finds him and demands justice for the horrors she suffered during the Vietnam War...horrors Chisolm couldn't save her from.
Now Chisolm must find the man responsible and bring him to justice to repay an old debt and in the hopes of putting his own demons to rest...once and for all.
Chisolm’s Debt is written by River City author Frank Zafiro and features one of River City’s iconic characters. Follow Chisolm on his search as he explores the nature of moral debt, war, forgiveness, and guilt on his way to an explosive ending.
The Trade Off
How deep into the sex slave industry will you go to save someone you love? How far will your duty take you?
On the surface, Heather Williams buys and sells young women in a burgeoning underground sex trade. But not everything is as it seems. She is really “Gus” MacIntyre, and undercover detective, targeting human traffickers and rescuing the desperate women they enslave. But how far will she go to stop them? And where does her job end, and duty begin?
“Bull” Porter seems like a prototypical macho hunter who owns a sporting goods store. But when his niece Taylor suddenly disappears, he plunges into the search for her with the same ferocity he stalks prey in the wilderness. The only difference is that this hunt takes place on the dirty streets of the city’s underbelly, and the hunted can turn the tables in an instant. How far will Bull go to save his niece?
As Gus and Bull battle with human traffickers to recover Taylor, both must face their own struggles and secrets...and eventually each other. Faced with political pressure and a ticking clock, they soon realize that nothing is free in this world. Nothing comes easy. For everything, there is a trade-off.
The Trade Off is a crime novel written with Bonnie R. Paulson. The book is written in a dual first person narrative format, giving the reader the intimacy of the first person as well as the breadth of knowledge that comes with third person narrations. An additional point of interest for the reader: the male character of Bull was written by Bonnie R. Paulson, while Frank Zafiro wrote the female character of Gus.
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Dead Even: A River City Anthology
Detectives and mobsters, missing mummies and a shootout with Gypsies – here are fifteen stories featuring major and minor characters from the novels of Frank Zafiro, now given their own chance to shine. The good, the bad, and the in-between of River City come together in this fast-paced collection of theft, mystery, murder and detection, where the heroes of River City will keep fighting until the scales of justice are once again...Dead Even. Some of these stories are action packed, others heart-rending, but all will leave you satisfied.
"The range of different character voices that Zafiro masters is amazing."
Asa Bradley, bark
“Frank Zafiro’s work is the kind readers won’t soon forget. It strikes deep into a reader’s mind and heart creating people and situations so real, they stick with you long after you’ve read the work. From the details of a crime in progress to police banter on and off the job to the gritty particulars of life in River City, Zafiro is a winner. He becomes his characters and you see life and crime and police work through their eyes. It’s impossible to choose a favorite in this collection, they are intertwined and work together in a way that creates a resonance in those who read these tales. Frank Zafiro’s work is powerful and memorable, two things every writer strives for in their work.”
Joseph R.G. DeMarco, author of Murder on Camac
“While Dead Even is a great introduction to the characters of Frank Zafiro’s River City novels, it is also a superb collection of short stories. From the heartbreaking, “The Worst Door” to the lethal combination of “Pride Goeth” and “And a Fall Cometh”, Zafiro has something for everyone. These aren’t just crime stories, they are stories that touch on the human emotions of both the cops and the criminals while taking readers on a roller coaster ride through the streets of River City.”
Sandra Seamans, short story author
“Frank Zafiro’s stories possess a ring of realism that can only be created by someone who has actually lived the life of a police officer. For readers who are seeking to get as close to the action as possible without being exposed to the dangers of police work, DEAD EVEN: A RIVER CITY ANTHOLOGY will be a real treat. They’ll be transported to a world where they’ll be able to actually see, hear, taste, and smell what it’s like to be a cop—but they’ll get to live to tell about it. Frank Zafiro continues to impress with this one.”
BJ Bourg, Chief Investigator, Lafourche Parish DA’s Office
“Hyper-realistic fiction at its best. Come ride along with cops in DEAD EVEN: A RIVER CITY ANTHOLOGY by Frank Zafiro. It's like being in a squad car, taken to a crime scene.”
O'Neil De Noux, SHAMUS and DERRINGER Award Winning author of the LaStanza New Orleans Police novels.
“It's rare to find a collection of characters where each one is fantastically well defined—and particularly rare in the case of crime fiction, where the crime often dominates. Better still, the crimes that Frank puts out for these characters are both plausible and intriguing—nothing rehashed or recycled. Compelling characters, engrossing plots, and overall, a fantastic collection of shorts, though I would expect nothing less from the author of the River City novels. I would have read it one sitting—and certainly tried—but my infant son doesn't understand why I don't want to put down the Frank Zafiro story I'm reading. At least not yet.”
Clair Dickson, author of Bo Fexler mysteries
“Whether you’re already a fan of the River City novels and stories or discovering Frank Zafiro for the first time, you’ll love this book. Every tale provides exactly what his readers have come to expect: fascinating characters, authentic police work, and spot-on dialogue. Dead Even is an exceptional—and deliciously entertaining—collection of stories.”
John Floyd, award-winning author of Rainbow’s End, Midnight, and Clockwork
“[T]he characters are interesting and worth spending time with.”
Mysterious Reviews
“Anyone who enjoys crime fiction should buy this book. Anyone who enjoys great dialogue, gallows humor or strong female protagonists should buy this book. Anybody who has ever driven through Hillyard should buy this book just to see how many places from Spokane they recognize.”
Brian Triplett, Examiner.com
“Zafiro has consistently used his experiences as well as ones of other fellow police officers to make the characters he writes about alive for the reader...[He has] a terse writing style filled full with emotion and nuances.”
Kevin Tipple, independent reviewer
No Good Deed: A River City Anthology
An ex-cop looking for redemption...an American man and an Irish lass intertwined in love and violence...a cop with a conscience that he doesn't always listen to...a retired cop looking to repair a broken relationship with his drug-addicted son...a Yankee cop in the West Texas...these are the characters you'll meet and explore in No Good Deed.
“Frank's style is akin to Dan Brown's and other writers who have "OMG - I can't put this down" quality - keeping you engaged and yearning for more about the characters and the story. The intriguing, well designed action moves you to want to know more about each of the people involved and how the stories end. THIS IS A GREAT READ!”
Tom Sahlberg, from a four star Amazon review
The Cleaner: A River City Anthology
A frustrated crime scene cleaner...an off duty cop in a jam...a patrol officer who believes in a strange fate...a holier-than-thou Internal Affairs whose world gets turned upside down...plus those that are crazy, surrounded in sadness or just trying to get by - these are the many and varied characters of River City, brought to life in 17 short stories by the author of the River City crime novels.
“This guy can write a story...Zafiro is exciting to read. I had a hard time putting the stories down and was always ready to go back to them. I will search out his other books.”
Brian Howe, from a five star Amazon review