The Freak Foundation Operative's Report

Masked worshippers of a bloodthirsty, ancient god -- calling themselves The Slain -- have the Central Pennsylvania city of Batley under siege. Between slugs of rotgut, a skeptical operative must use wits and bare knuckles to connect a part-time faerie queen, the sordid history of a carnival and a reclusive cult leader who may have unleashed unearthly evil. The Freak Foundation Operative's Report is a shell game of a novel that combines elements of hardboiled mysteries, occult thrillers and dark social satire. It's H.P. Lovecraft meets Elmore Leonard by way of the Marx Brothers.