A big crime novel. . . . Stone has a grand story to tell, and he does it with panache. Its the story of a city and an era (the Reagan reference isnt gratuitous), at once hilarious and tragic. Its a story filled with characters that range from honorable to morally ambiguous to frighteningly evil. Its filled with voodoo rituals, crooked cops, street life, and wrenching descriptions. . . . Brilliant. Booklist (starred review)

Nick Stones first novel, Mr. Clarinet, took the crime fiction world by stormwinning enthusiastic raves (Exquisite South Florida Sun-Sentinel; A spellbinding thriller of the highest order Chicago Tribune) as well as a Macavity and a CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award. In The King of Swords, Stone brings back Detective Max Mingus in a chilling and mesmerizing prequel that combines murder, police corruption, and voodoo black magic. The King of Swords blazes with Miami heatand it earns Nick Stone a permanent spot in the winners circle alongside the masters James Ellroy, Dennis Lehane, James Lee Burke, Walter Mosley, and Stephen King.