Johnny Riles was the ultimate bad example until a drug-fueled car accident brought him crashing to a halt. Alone and unable to continue his musical career, Johnny returns to his hometown in rural Alabama. To everyone there, he's just John Riley -- a constant screwup and delinquent. Starting an affair with his brother's wife didn't elevate anyone's opinion of him, either. But when Johnny's brother Aaron -- a football-star-turned-hero-cop -- finds out about the fling, things get really messy. With a couple of murderous cops on their trail, Johnny and his mistress will do whatever it takes to survive -- if they can.

Prodigal: A Thriller

Mathews, Bobby

Literature & Fiction

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

When retired pro wrestler Alex Donovan sees his best friend, former world champion ‘The Wild Child’ Ray Wilder, gunned down in the street, he’s drawn back into a world of spandex, spangles, and spotlights in order to find the killer. As Donovan digs deeper into Ray’s life, he realizes that the list of people who wanted Ray dead seems endless.\nBattling his aging, failing body, Donovan feels honor-bound to avenge Ray’s death when no one else seems to care. His guilt over escaping the wrestling business to build a new life when Ray couldn’t — or wouldn’t — drives him to find the killer, no matter if it’s friend or foe.\nLIVING THE GIMMICK uses the backdrop of pro wrestling in the 1980s and its current climate to examine the strained bonds of a lifelong friendship and how an all-too-real abuser can exist without scrutiny in a showbiz world full of fake tough guys and choreographed fighting. Early Praise for LIVING THE GIMMICK“At times a wild and surreal trip through the subculture of old school pro wrestling and at other times a deft love letter to the passions that drive us all, LIVING THE GIMMICK is a rollicking good time. Bobby Mathews obviously loves three things: The South, pro wrestling, and a good mystery.” 
—S.A. Cosby, bestselling author of RAZORBLADE TEARS\n“Living the Gimmick is a bruising romp about pro wrestling, friendship, betrayal, and the lies we let ourselves believe. Bobby Mathews’ career as a journalist serves him well in his debut novel; the prose is punchy, the atmosphere pungent. Mathews depicts a world of scripted violence, of showmanship and pain, where the truth is hidden behind the glam and glitter.” 
—Chris Swann, USA Today Bestseller, winner of Southern Living's Best Southern Books of 2017 Award\n“Mathews has written a glorious, noir-steeped homage to pro wrestling, all the more remarkable in its ardent fidelity. LIVING THE GIMMICK rocks hard.” 
——Laird Barron, author of Blood Standard\n“Mathews’ impressive debut murder mystery is as much a gritty homage to the excessive, violent, glam rock world of professional wrestling as it is a testimony of how it’s evolved from its oftentimes ruthless heyday to the glitzy entertainment machine it is now. LIVING THE GIMMICK is a headlock wrapped in noir sensibilities as it slams down a universal question: how much do we really know the ones we love and trust?” 
—Heather Levy, author WALKING THROUGH NEEDLES\n"Bobby Mathews understands wrestling and writing. LIVING THE GIMMICK is a tale which deftly weaves a gripping murder mystery full of references and nods to the days of the wrestling territories and all its greats. Fans of wrestling, crime stories, and damn good writing will all enjoy this novel." 
—Hector Acosta, Edgar nominee and Best American Mystery Stories honoree, author of HARDWAY\n“High-class writing about hard-luck people. Timely, bold and brutal. Bobby is a writer to watch.” 
—Libby Cudmore, author of THE BIG REWIND\n"With over twenty years in the vibrant and often insane world of professional wrestling, I can say that Bobby Mathews nails the details and treats wrestling respectfully while tantalizing you with a hell of a murder mystery in his kickass book, LIVING THE GIMMICK." 
—April Hunter, pro wrestler, model, actress and writer\n“Mathews writes in smooth, almost transparent strokes that propel the narrative along with such force, you’ll read the entire novel in one sitting. The seedy world of wrestling and the badasses who populate it come alive on the page. Kayfabe? Hardly. This is as real and gritty as noir gets.” 
—Hank Early, author of HEAVEN'S CROOKED FINGER

Living the Gimmick

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

Shotgun Honey Books

When low-level legbreaker Kincaid takes on a new assignment, he discovers it's not really a step up - it's a setup. The deal was supposed to be this: Protect Abby Doyle, the daughter of Birmingham, Alabama's most dangerous crime lord. But when Abby's fiancé is found murdered, Kincaid is forced to team up with BPD detective Laura D'Agostino to find the killer and protect Abby at all costs ... even from her own father. Praise for Magic City Blues "A twisty, propulsive read led by a witty, compelling narrator. I couldn't put it down!"-Cassandra Rose Clarke, author of The Mad Scientist's Daughter "The action comes early and often in Magic City Blues and the energy of this spellbinding novel cannot be denied. Bobby Mathews is a first-rate writer point blank and the crime poet laureate of Birmingham. A master craftsman of new-south noir, who deftly balances crackling dialogue, sly humor, grit and tenderness with smart and wily plotting paired with hard-boiled suspense and the kind of complicated (anti) hero in Kincaid we can all get behind. Somewhere at the great poker game in the sky, Donald Westlake, Robert Parker and James Crumley are raising a glass to Magic City Blues ... as should we all."-Peter Farris, award-winning author of The Devil Himself "Magic City Blues is a straight shot of classic crime fiction reminiscent of Donald Westlake and Robert B. Parker. With one-liners galore, and sharp, punchy writing, Bobby Mathews' latest novel is not to be missed!"-Eli Cranor, author of Don't Know Tough "Calling back to the best of Robert B. Parker with a wit that reminded me of Gregory MacDonald, Bobby Mathews introduces two great characters in his page-turner Magic City Blues. The first is veteran-turned-low-level-street-thug Kincaid, and the second is the city of Birmingham, Alabama, a city that has deserved its time as a worthy crime-fiction locale. It's a city of barbecue and soul food, of racism and gentrification, of power and money and secrets - the perfect setting for what will hopefully be an ongoing series of novels."-Jordan Harper, Edgar-winning author of Everybody Knows "Magic City Blues by Bobby Mathews is a down and dirty exaltation of what I love best about crime fiction. Bad people doing bad things for what they think are the right reasons. Bobby has written a fantastic book."-S.A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author of Razorblade Tears "Magic City Blues is a slick, fast-moving crime novel that fans of Robert B. Parker and Donald Westlake will want to get their hands on. Murder, blackmail, romance-this story has it all. With just the perfect mix of brawn and brains, bodyguard-for-hire Kincaid is a narrator you won't soon forget as he navigates the seedy underbelly of Birmingham, dealing out ass-kicking justice and wit in equal manner. Bobby Mathews pulls no punches with this burner."-Scott Blackburn, author of It Dies With You

Magic City Blues

An out-of-work journalist finds a second life 'stealing cars'; A grad student finds out that theft is easy, but getting away with it is another matter entirely; A long-lost love can't be rekindled in a remote hotel room, but a long-held ember of anger can be reignited; A tale of murder and mayhem in the Big Easy ...In NEGATIVE TILT: Stories, award-winning author Bobby Mathews shares twenty-eight tales that run the gamut, from a literary punch in the gut to unrequited and lost love to fast-and-hard crime fiction to out-and-out horror that's hard to turn away from. What folks are saying..."Bobby Mathews is a hell of a Southern storyteller conjuring stories with brutal honesty and truth. He writes about a world of jilted lovers, down on their luck journalists, and desperate men seeking revenge. A wild and haunting ride from start to finish."-Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of Don't Let the Devil Ride "Negative Tilt unveils Bobby Mathews as a modern, powerful, and versatile voice of modern noir, with a collection that will weave readers through a tangled cast of characters that reflect the lonesome, hard-fought, and relatable that populate Mathews's tales of struggle and revenge. Negative Tilt's stark, chiseled prose shoots through you from the first story. Next thing you know, you've burned through the entire book. Don't miss this collection." -Alex Segura, award-winning and bestselling author of Secret Identity and Alter Ego"Mixing gimlet-eyed intensity, a poet's gift for the perfect phrase, and a breathtaking depth of humanity, Bobby Mathews offers one stunner after another in Negative Tilt, illuminating the lives of characters haunted by what they've done, what's been done to them, and the fierce weight of what they might do next." -Art Taylor, Edgar Award-winning author of The Adventure of the Castle Thief and Other Expeditions and Indiscretions"This gripping, wide-ranging collection encompasses backwoods vengeance, Parisian tricksters, a mirror that reflects the crimes of the past, and so much more. Bobby Mathews' versatility is matched only by the humanity he invests in even his most broken, desperate characters."-Scott Von Doviak, Edgar Award-nominated author of Lowdown Road and Charlesgate Confidential "Most crime writers come on hard, like they want to show the world how tough they are. Bobby Mathews is a different kind of cat: in Negative Tilt, he wants to show you how even the worst of us have a vulnerable heart. This insightfulness and empathy make him one of the best writers working today."-Nick Kolakowski, author of Payback Is Forever and Love & Bullets "Negative Tilt is more than a collection, it's a body, sprawled out on the table, open and sensitive and bleeding yet furiously, gloriously, alive. With a reporter's eye for detail, a barbarian's taste for chaos, a poet's sense of soul, and a conman's mastery for turns of phrase, Bobby Mathews announces himself as a vital voice, not just to crime fiction, but also as an heir to Portis, Woodrell, and Hiaasen."-Paul J. Garth, author of The Low White Plain

Negative Tilt: Stories

United States

Thirteen of today's most innovative crime fiction authors bring the songs of the Talking Heads to life in this blistering collection.A charity anthology to benefit the fight against climate change, BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE is a dazzling exploration of what crime fiction can entail - deftly mixing grimy crime, small-town grit lit, literary noir, and tales that blend crime with speculative fiction, sci-fi, road trip comedy, magical realism, and horror.In this collection, readers will meet musicians desperate to escape their dying towns, con men with violent histories, detectives haunted by the ghosts of the past, women who refuse to be defined by the narrow expectations placed upon them, slimy magicians poised for a final vanishing act - and even a magic talking guitar. They will traverse back alleys populated by the desperate and the violent, attend desert weddings gone horribly wrong, unravel murders wrapped in ambiguity, visit alternate futures defined by ecological collapse and resurgent fascism, travel back to the turn of the 20th century, and experience visions where the very ideas of truth and reality collapse in on themselves. This collection will delight, challenge and inspire crime readers of all kinds with stories from exciting up-and-comers and award-winning veterans - including Best American Mystery and Suspense-selected author and Shamus Award-winner James D.F. Hannah; World Fantasy Award-winner and Bram Stoker Award-winner P.D. Cacek; Derringer Award-winner Bobby Mathews; and Alex Award-winner Gregory Galloway.

Burning Down the House: Crime Fiction Incited by the Songs of the Talking Heads

Dunham, T. Fox

Cudmore, Libby

Galloway, George

Godwin, Kimberly

Cacek, P.D.

Hannah, James D.F.

Laine, Jessica

Garrett, Michel Lee

Short Stories & Anthologies

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