The Peter Blauner Collection Volume One

Gripping crime thrillers from the New York Times–bestselling author of The Intruder and Proving Ground—“Nobody writing suspense novels does it as well” (James Patterson).

Praised by everyone from Stephen King and James Patterson to Dennis Lehane and James Ellroy, New York Times–bestselling author Peter Blauner has proven himself a master of the crime thriller. In the three novels collected here—including Blauner’s Edgar Award–winning debut—the former journalist delivers breathtaking suspense alongside provocative questions of morality and ethics.

Slow Motion Riot: Blauner’s Edgar Award–winning first novel is “a thriller with a conscience” (Entertainment Weekly). That conscience belongs to probation officer Steven Baum, who still hopes to make a difference in a city plagued by drugs, murders, and corruption. But his newest charge is about to challenge him to his core. Darryl King is not just a small-time drug dealer—he’s a psychopathic cop-killer.

“Harrowing.” —The Washington Post

“Exceptionally well done.” —Andrew Vachss

Casino Moon: Blauner’s story of the son of an Atlantic City mobster is “a gritty novel with integrity and style” (James Patterson). Anthony Russo’s scheme for staying out of the family crime business is to manage a has-been boxer’s comeback. But it’s Russo who ultimately takes the fall, as he discovers it’s not so easy to escape the sins of his father.

“You could cut a lip on his dialogue.” —The New York Times

“This book has it all . . . Blauner is . . . brilliant.” —James Ellroy

Man of the Hour: When high school English teacher David Fitzgerald rescues a student after a terrorist bomb explosion on a school bus, he is lauded as a hero—until an ambitious reporter raises suspicions about Fitzgerald’s involvement and he finds himself hounded by the media and under investigation by the police.

“A remarkable achievement—I loved it and couldn’t put it down.” —Stephen King

“As impressive for its realism as for its suspense.” —Publishers Weekly