A twisting debut novel of murder and dark family secrets from a riveting new voice in crime fiction. A murdered woman. A grieving husband. And their son-a mentally handicapped adult with a history of violent outbursts. A very simple case. Or is it? Leo Hewitt, an Assistant DA once blamed for setting free a notorious child-killer, is eager to redeem himself with this intimate and grisly crime. As he digs below the surface he discovers more than he ever anticipated-including an emotionally disturbed wife, a husband who'd do anything to escape his disastrous marriage, and an accused young man with no apparent means of defense. But with each shocking new revelation, Leo is only led deeper and deeper into the darkness-an inescapable trap of blood bonds and twisted family secrets.

A Very Simple Crime

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Jerkins, Grant

Mystery

Penguin Publishing Group

From the critically acclaimed author of A Very Simple Crime, a chilling story of a young boy coming to grips with genuine evil. 
A red dirt road on a sweltering day. A car loses control, flips through the air. A woman crawls out, bloody and battered, staggers toward the boy on the bike, the one she swerved to avoid. But he runs away...
Kyle is ten in the summer of 1976, and his world is all about secrets-secrets hidden in the maze of cornfields, in caves, in the embers of scorched earth, behind creaking doors and down basement stairs...and in the darkest of hearts.
But there's a policewoman at the front door. The Paralyzed Man watches him from a neighboring porch. And no matter which way Kyle turns, no place seems safe anymore...

At the End of the Road

Literature & Fiction

United States

Berkley Trade

Is it true what they say? That we’re only as sick as our worst secret? Because Helen Patrice has one. Last night, she murdered a stranger… Helen is a recovering alcoholic struggling through a twelve-step program. Now it’s time to make amends for a crime she got away with—a hit and run accident that killed the wife of school teacher Edgar Woolrich. It’s time to face the consequences. When she finally gathers the courage to meet him, the ninth step begins with a lie—the first of many as their relationship grows, and Helen knows it’s far too late to reveal the truth to a man she’s come to love. Then one day, she receives an anonymous note: Does he know you killed his wife? Now her devastating trail of deceit is about to lead her into the darkest place so far—that of other people’s secrets…

The Ninth Step

One bullet equals one kill.
For SWAT sniper Jake Denton, the bullet casings he saves as grim reminders of his "kills" are beginning to add up. His wife, his department-ordered psychiatrist, and even Jake himself are all beginning to question just how these sanctioned kills are affecting his mental health. Nobody wants him to end up like Lee Staley, his mentor and ex-partner---now out on permanent psych leave, drinking himself to death, and the prime suspect in a series of shootings that have paralyzed Northern California.
Jake doesn't believe that Staley's guilty, but since their job has taught them to kill, how easy would it be for his friend to cross over to the other side? How easy would it be for him?
On every police force in the country, there's a SWAT sniper going about his daily life, acting like an average cop, until the moment when the call comes in. Then they become a hostage's last hope and a criminal's worst nightmare. To some, they are silent heroes---to others, silent killers. Grant Jerkins and Jan Thomas's Done in One pulls back the curtain on their world.

Done in One: A Novel

Thomas, Jan

Thomas Dunne Books

"A murdered woman. A grieving husband. And their son?a mentally handicapped adult with a history of violent outbursts. A very simple case. Or is it?" -- Cover verso.

Thorndike Press

FATE: Abused at home, a high school outcast destined for a dead-end job, Billy Smith longs to be free--and to indulge his love of setting fires.CHOICE: One-legged ex-con Frank Dobbs suffers from severe rage disorder, but believes he can save himself by saving Billy.CHAOS: Sexual predator Chandler Norris has a plan that pits fate and choice against the chaotic spiral of his malignant mind."Chaos? Or fate? What brought you here? Were the choices yours, or did something outside of you conspire to bring you to this place? Because out in the woods, in a box buried in the ground, there is a little girl who has no hope of seeing the moon tonight. The moon has forsaken her. Because of you."

Abnormal Man: A Novel

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Chaos? Or fate? What brought you here? Were the choices yours, or did something outside of you conspire to bring you to this place? Because out in the woods, in a box buried in the ground, there is a little girl who has no hope of seeing the moon tonight. The moon has forsaken her. Because of you. “There is some dark magic in this one. I mean, really dark. Like whittle-my-bones-to-a-bloody-point dark. Jerkins calmly, unflinchingly goes about his business of crafting some troubled yet sympathetic characters who are in dire straits. That he manages to make these characters sympathetic, their problems understandable, is impressive and prompts the reader to consider the justice in violence. But despite the skill of its execution...I must pass.” —HarperCollins, Acquisitions Editor Grant Jerkins is the author of A Very Simple Crime, At the End of the Road, The Ninth Step, and Done in One. He lives in the Atlanta area with his wife and son. Visit his website at www.grantjerkins.com.

Abnormal Man

ABC Group Documentation

In his debut short fiction collection, A Scholar of Pain, Grant Jerkins remains—as the Washington Post put it—“Determined to peer into the darkness and tell us exactly what he sees.” Here, the depth of that darkness is on evident, oftentimes poetic, display. We meet, and come reluctantly to sympathize with: The office chair-sniffer who only wants to be loved, a bottomed-out cough-syrup addict, a terminally ill school bus driver who takes her young riders on a drunken suicide run, and a cheated-on housewife who discovers her husband’s other woman isn’t a woman at all, but a…No spoilers here. Just read it. Read all sixteen of these deviant diversions. Peer into the darkness. Praise for A SCHOLAR OF PAIN: “A Scholar of Pain hits that literary sweet spot: Could be crime fiction, might be southern gothic—or even horror. The stories are funny as hell, too. And compassionate. In fact, Jerkins’ voice is amongst the most compassionate I’ve heard, because he extends it to some hideous wretches in a way that underscores the humanity I share with them. I heartily recommend Grant Jerkins.” —Jedidiah Ayers, author of Peckerwood and Fierce Bitches “Sophisticated. Elegant. Sleek and demolishing.” —Ryan Sayles, author of Subtle Art of Brutality and Warpath “A joyous celebration of the darkness within us all. With A Scholar of Pain, Grant Jerkins gives an unflinching look—with no anger or judgment—into the realities that surround us. It’s one thing to write a convincing and compassionate love story, but writing one that involves a sex doll, well that’s another thing completely.” —DH Tuck, author of Formica

A Scholar of Pain

Short Stories & Anthologies

Clowns are like politics; everyone has an opinion on them. In this collection of short stories you’ll find numerous takes on the world of the painted harlequin entertainer. Often maligned in today’s day and age, the institution of the clown means something to everyone. And sure, most of these clowns are armed. They’re less than concerned about the moral ramifications of their actions. Hell, they might be demonic. We’ve got it all. Clown cars, rodeos, adultery, robbery, mayhem, balloon animals, self-immolation, big red noses, cremation chambers, a funeral and kids’ TV shows, just to name some. But for a dad who dresses as the most infamous clown ever to sneak into his son’s party or a woman who uses her costume as a ruse to rob and cheat to a man who’s lifelong companion is a clown apparition, the hair and make-up are just a means to an end. An untimely end. Edited by Ryan Sayles and featuring stories by Patricia Abbott, J.L. Abramo, Jen Conley, Jeffery Hess, Grant Jerkins, David James Keaton, Ed Kurtz, R. Daniel Lester, Marietta Miles, Warren Moore, Chuck Regan, Scotch Rutherford, Liam Sweeney, Richard Thomas, James R. Tuck, and Lono Waiwaiole.

Greasepaint and 45s

Humor & Entertainment

Sayles, Ryan

Hess, Jeffery

Keaton, David James

Kurtz, Ed

Abbott, Patricia

Conley, Jen

Abramo, J.L.

Lester, R. Daniel

Miles, Marietta

Humor

Down & Out Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jerkins, Grant. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Jerkins, Grant

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jerkins, Grant. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

A Very Simple Crime

At the End of the Road

The Ninth Step

Done in One: A Novel

A Very Simple Crime

Abnormal Man: A Novel

Abnormal Man

A Scholar of Pain

Greasepaint and 45s