{"title":"Ralph Dennis","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into the gritty world of hardboiled crime fiction with Ralph Dennis. Expect fast-paced plots, tough-talking characters, and a healthy dose of suspense. Perfect for fans of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"atlanta-deathwatch-book-ralph-dennis-9781732065666","title":"Atlanta Deathwatch","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe first novel in the unforgettable, ground-breaking series by Ralph Dennis is finally back in print... after being coveted for years by collectors of the very best in hardboiled fiction. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt's Atlanta, 1974. Jim Hardman was a mediocre cop until he was wrongly accused of corruption and thrown off the force. Now he works as an unlicensed PI, trouble-shooter and bodyguard...often partnered with his drinking buddy Hump Evans, a black, ex-NFL player who supports his playboy lifestyle by working as hired muscle. \u003cbr\u003eHardman is hired by The Man, a black mobster, to investigate the murder of his white girlfriend, a college student. It's a case that plunges Hardman and Evans into the center of a violent street war that stretches from Atlanta's seedy back alleys to the marbled corridors of power.\u003cbr\u003eThis new edition includes an introduction by Joe R. Lansdale, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hap \u0026amp; Leonard crime novels. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for the HARDMAN novels\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis prose was muscular, swift and highly readable. Like Chandler and Hammett before him, Dennis was trying to do something different with what was thought of as throwaway literature. \u003ci\u003eJoe R. Lansdale, from his introduction\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExpert writing, plus good plotting and an unusual degree of sensitivity. Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment. \u003ci\u003e The New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Hardman books are by far the best of the men's action-adventure series. \u003ci\u003eMother Jones Magazine \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRalph Dennis is an underappreciated master. His Hardman series is one of the finest in the P.I. genre. Robert Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America \u003cbr\u003eAmong the best series books around. The dialogue is marvelously realistic. \u003ci\u003ePhiladelphia Daily News \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRalph Dennis and his Hardman series are finally getting the respect many readers and collectors feel they deserve... Hardman is not your typical PI. He is not that good looking; a bit on the pudgy side in fact. His methods are unorthodox, and he often plays both sides of the law when working a case. But these and several other genre-defying characteristics are what captures and holds our fascination with Hardman. \u003ci\u003eBookgasm\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49583358345489,"sku":"GOR010025184","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50097376395537,"sku":"CIN1732065667VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51048304378129,"sku":"NIN9781732065666","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51694289256721,"sku":"CIN1732065667G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52483808887057,"sku":"NLS9781732065666","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1732065667.jpg?v=1750723052"},{"product_id":"broken-fixer-book-ralph-dennis-9781941298190","title":"The Broken Fixer","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe gritty, hard-edged novel of sex, crime, and corruption in 1970s Atlanta.and the man who is paid to hide it all. by Ralph Dennis, author of the legendary \u003ci\u003eHardman\u003c\/i\u003e series of detective novels.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eVince Gorman is a ruthless lawyer with flexible morality who makes problems go away for David Wardlaw, an Atlanta real estate developer and the owner of the city's pro basketball team. Wardlaw doesn't care how Vince fixes things.as long as it gets done. But now Vince is in over his head. covering up a possibly fatal hit-and-run by the team's hard-partying star shooter. and competing with Wardlaw's rivals to bribe, blackmail and intimidate the corrupt politicians who award the city's rich construction contracts.all while desperately scrambling to keep his own life of dark secrets, relentless womanizing, and soul-rotting compromises from crashing down around him. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is an edited and revised version of a book previously published in 1975 under the title \u003ci\u003eAtlanta\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Ralph Dennis: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRalph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment. \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003eHis prose is muscular, swift and highly readable.  Joe R. Lansdale, author of the \u003ci\u003eHap \u0026amp; Leonard\u003c\/i\u003e novels, the basis for the hit TV series.Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared. \u003ci\u003eMystery Scene Magazine\u003c\/i\u003eAn underappreciated master. Robert J. Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America.Straight-up, hardboiled crime fiction, written in a tight, evocative voice with a wicked, dark sense of humor. Lee Goldberg, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eTrue Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLost Hills\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49604454646033,"sku":"GOR013713964","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52665608241425,"sku":"NLS9781941298190","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1941298192.jpg?v=1751219652"},{"product_id":"charleston-knife-is-back-in-town-book-ralph-dennis-9781732065673","title":"The Charleston Knife is Back in Town","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe second novel in the unforgettable, long lost series by Ralph Dennis is finally back in print. after being coveted for years by collectors of the very best in hardboiled fiction.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eJim Hardman was a mediocre Atlanta cop until he was wrongly accused of corruption and thrown off the force. Now he works as an unlicensed PI, trouble-shooter and bodyguard.often partnered with his drinking buddy Hump Evans, a black, ex-NFL player who supports his playboy lifestyle by working as hired muscle. \u003cbr\u003eFive kids rip off a gambling party attended by Hump Evans and some of Atlanta's criminal and political elite. Hardman is hired to recover the loot and find the kids before they are caught and butchered by a hitman from Charleston with a very sharp knife.\u003cbr\u003eThis new edition includes an introduction by Joe R. Lansdale, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hap \u0026amp; Leonard crime novels.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for the HARDMAN novels\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis prose was muscular, swift and highly readable. Like Chandler and Hammett before him, Dennis was trying to do something different with what was thought of as throwaway literature. \u003ci\u003eJoe R. Lansdale, from his introduction\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExpert writing, plus good plotting and an unusual degree of sensitivity. Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment. \u003ci\u003e The New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Hardman books are by far the best of the men's action-adventure series. \u003ci\u003eMother Jones Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRalph Dennis is an underappreciated master. His Hardman series is one of the finest in the P.I. genre. \u003ci\u003eRobert Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAmong the best series books around. The dialogue is marvelously realistic. \u003ci\u003ePhiladelphia Daily News\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49612869861649,"sku":"GOR009923882","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50670031733009,"sku":"CIN1732065675G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52483198157073,"sku":"NLS9781732065673","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53152222150929,"sku":"NIN9781732065673","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1732065675.jpg?v=1750961198"},{"product_id":"dust-in-the-heart-book-ralph-dennis-9781732422612","title":"Dust in the Heart","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49784835506449,"sku":"GOR013784059","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51168855589137,"sku":"NIN9781732422612","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52594981667089,"sku":"NLS9781732422612","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1732422613.jpg?v=1751312229"},{"product_id":"talent-for-killing-book-ralph-dennis-9781732422636","title":"A Talent for Killing","description":"\u003cb\u003eA breathless, lean noir thriller. Every line is razor sharp and without an ounce of fat. Jason Bourne fans will find a lot to like. \u003ci\u003e Publishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLONG BEFORE JASON BOURNE, THERE WAS KANE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKane was a top CIA assassin until he suffered traumatic physical and psychological injuries in a mission that went horribly wrong. The Agency wiped his memory, gave him a new identity, and retired him to a life of mundane, anonymous domesticity. But his training, and his talent for killing, came back with a vengeance. He created a new life for himself as a killer-for-hire, righting wrongs for people who can't find peace or justice any other way. He doesn't know that his memories are fiction, or that he is always being watched, or that he's been targeted for death by a rogue faction within the Agency.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA TALENT FOR KILING\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this brutal, fast-moving thriller from Ralph Dennis, the author of the legendary Hardman series of crime novels, Kane finds himself caught between the mob, Cuban revolutionaries, and his own government as he seeks retribution for a man murdered for uncovering small-town corruption.and justice for another man on death row, falsely convicted of raping and murdering a child.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Ralph Dennis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLike Chandler and Hammett before him, Dennis was trying to do something different with what was thought of as throwaway literature. Joe R. Lansdale\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRalph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment. \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose. \u003ci\u003eMystery Scene Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA portion of this book was previously published in 1976 under the title \u003ci\u003eDeadman's Game\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":50797619609873,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50797621969169,"sku":"CIN173242263XVG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51707028242705,"sku":"GOR014371284","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52619112710417,"sku":"NLS9781732422636","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53010429182225,"sku":"NIN9781732422636","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/173242263X.jpg?v=1750864822"},{"product_id":"pimp-for-the-dead-book-ralph-dennis-9781732422605","title":"Pimp for the Dead","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":50925569966353,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50925572260113,"sku":"CIN1732422605G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52588612550929,"sku":"NLS9781732422605","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53152178209041,"sku":"NIN9781732422605","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1732422605.jpg?v=1751344264"},{"product_id":"golden-girl-and-all-book-ralph-dennis-9781732065680","title":"The Golden Girl and All","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe third novel in Ralph Dennis' great, but hard-to-find 1970s detective series that's been sought-after for decades by readers of the very best in crime fiction.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003eJim Hardman was an Atlanta cop until he was wrongly accused of corruption and thrown off the force. Now he works as an unlicensed PI, trouble-shooter and bodyguard.often partnered with his drinking buddy Hump Evans, a black, ex-NFL player who supports his playboy lifestyle by working as hired muscle. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHardman is hired to find Peggy Holt, a drug dealer, stripper, and serial seductress who has kidnapped her six-year-old daughter from her ex-husband. Peggy has disappeared into an Atlanta underworld populated by the dirty cops, crooked lawyers and violent mobsters that she's bedded and betrayed.and who keep coming back for more. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe only way Hardman can find her is to follow the trail of corpses that she's left in her wake. without becoming one himself. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis edition includes an introduction by New York Times bestselling author Joe R. Lansdale and an afterword by Richard A. Moore. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for the HARDMAN novels\u003c\/b\u003e: Like Chandler and Hammett before him, Dennis was trying to do something different with what was thought of as throwaway literature. Joe R. Lansdale, from his introduction \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmong the best series books around. The dialogue is marvelously realistic. Philadelphia Daily News\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50925579305233,"sku":"CIN1732065683G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51048929591569,"sku":"NIN9781732065680","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52588035146001,"sku":"NLS9781732065680","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1732065683.jpg?v=1750864736"},{"product_id":"spy-in-a-box-book-ralph-dennis-9781941298893","title":"The Spy in a Box","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50987751768337,"sku":"CIN1941298893A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51220682146065,"sku":"NIN9781941298893","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52144411083025,"sku":"NLS9781941298893","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1941298893.jpg?v=1751251505"},{"product_id":"down-among-the-jocks-book-ralph-dennis-9781732422650","title":"Down Among the Jocks","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51048821752081,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51048825454865,"sku":"NIN9781732422650","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52538627981585,"sku":"NLS9781732422650","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52739749052689,"sku":"CIN1732422656VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1732422656.jpg?v=1750765421"},{"product_id":"murder-is-not-an-odd-job-book-ralph-dennis-9781732422667","title":"Murder is Not an Odd Job","description":"For years, original copies of Ralph Dennis' Hardman novels, one of the best crime fiction series ever written, were the Holy Grail for collectors because they were nearly impossible to find and very pricey. But those days are over. Hardman is back The Hardman books are by far the best of the men's action-adventure series. Mother Jones MagazineIt's Atlanta, 1974. Ex-cop Jim Hardman and his drinking buddy Hump Evans, an ex-NFL player, will do just about anything short of a felony to make a buck.but even that rule is flexible. Among the best series books around. Philadelphia Daily NewsIn their sixth adventure, Hardman steps into the middle of a bar fight and stumbles into a deadly but lucrative job -- protecting a guy who is next-in-line for a massive inheritance from being murdered by professional assassins. But as the body count rises, and killers just keep on coming, it becomes clear to Hardman that the motive is more than money. and that he may be fighting an adversary who will never stop, even after death. Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment. The New York TimesThis new edition includes an Afterword from author Cynthia Williams, who was one of Ralph Dennis' students.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51048916451601,"sku":"NIN9781732422667","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52620413174033,"sku":"NLS9781732422667","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1732422664.jpg?v=1751278312"},{"product_id":"working-for-the-man-book-ralph-dennis-9781732422674","title":"Working for the Man","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51049252028689,"sku":"NIN9781732422674","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52482182709521,"sku":"NLS9781732422674","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1732422672.jpg?v=1751025725"},{"product_id":"all-kinds-of-ugly-book-ralph-dennis-9781941298206","title":"All Kinds of Ugly","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51055269839121,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51055272722705,"sku":"NIN9781941298206","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52616363966737,"sku":"NLS9781941298206","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53333435056401,"sku":"GOR014853833","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1941298206.jpg?v=1750804182"},{"product_id":"deadly-cotton-heart-book-ralph-dennis-9781941298138","title":"The Deadly Cotton Heart","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51055360311569,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51055363129617,"sku":"NIN9781941298138","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52593861034257,"sku":"NLS9781941298138","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1941298133.jpg?v=1751187579"},{"product_id":"buy-back-blues-book-ralph-dennis-9781941298534","title":"The Buy Back Blues","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51055383478545,"sku":"NIN9781941298534","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1941298532.jpg?v=1751061964"},{"product_id":"wind-sprints-book-ralph-dennis-9781957868912","title":"Wind Sprints","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe long-lost, never-before-published, autobiographical first novel by Ralph Dennis, author of the legendary\u0026gt;\u003ci\u003eHardman\u003c\/i\u003e series.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the late 1960s, a balding, over-weight, heavy-drinking writer struggles to find his place in the literary\/academic worlds of Yale and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, while desperately trying to figure out why all of his relationships with women, romantically and otherwise, seem doomed from the start. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe book includes introductions by #1\u0026gt;\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u0026gt;\u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author Lee Goldberg and by Ralph's close friend Ben Jones, the\u0026gt;\u003ci\u003eDukes of Hazzard\u003c\/i\u003e actor and former U.S. Congressman from Georgia. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for\u0026gt;\u003ci\u003eWind Sprints\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt's written, if not with self-loathing, a certain disdain. It's not a flattering portrait of the narrator. Sure, it's an uncomfortable read, but it's also a poignant one. What is clear, though, is Dennis' voice, his noirist temperment, and signs of the style that made his later novels crime classics. Discovering this novel and bringing it to the public was clearly a labor of love and it's truly to be applauded. Dennis never got his due in his lifetime but damn, what a writer. \u003ci\u003eCrimeTimeUK FM\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Ralph Dennis\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHis prose was muscular, swift and highly readable. Like Chandler and Hammett before him, Dennis was trying to do something different with what was thought of as throwaway literature. Joe R. Lansdale\u0026gt;\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHis strong prose and well-paced storytelling place him alongside the likes of George V. Higgins and Ross MacDonald. \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eRalph Dennis is an underappreciated master. His Hardman series is one of the finest in the P.I. genre. Robert Randisi, founder of the Private Eye Writers of America\u003cp\u003eConsidering the excellent prose and Chandler-esque dialogue, it's surprising that Dennis never found acclaim. Tight plotting and a hero resembling Philip Marlowe. \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51206471418129,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51206473351441,"sku":"NIN9781957868912","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/B0CHLC9RQT.jpg?v=1751348745"},{"product_id":"tales-of-a-sad-fat-wordman-book-ralph-dennis-9781734348033","title":"Tales of a Sad, Fat Wordman","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52100697587985,"sku":"GOR014467030","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781734348033.jpg?v=1757090554"},{"product_id":"hump-s-first-case-book-ralph-dennis-9781941298831","title":"Hump's First Case","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52535970496785,"sku":"NLS9781941298831","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52757075394833,"sku":"NIN9781941298831","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781941298831.jpg?v=1760672749"},{"product_id":"last-of-the-armageddon-wars-book-ralph-dennis-9781941298824","title":"The Last of the Armageddon Wars","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52536805196049,"sku":"NLS9781941298824","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52756399522065,"sku":"NIN9781941298824","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53096291270929,"sku":"CIN1941298826VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53268809482513,"sku":"CIN1941298826G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781941298824.jpg?v=1760675760"},{"product_id":"one-dollar-rip-off-book-ralph-dennis-9781941298848","title":"The One Dollar Rip-Off","description":"\u003cb\u003eA brilliantly original, surprising plot in one of the best crime novel series ever written. This is straight-up, hardboiled crime fiction, written in a tight, evocative voice with a wicked, dark sense of humor. It's wonderful  \u003c\/b\u003e Lee Goldberg, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author \u003cp\u003eThe ninth adventure in the legendary detective series that inspired some of the best crime and thriller authors of our time.Unlicensed P.I. Jim Hardman's buddy Hump Evans, a former NFL player, drops a one dollar bet in the friendly, neighborhood football pool for a possible $100 pot.and, against all odds, he wins. But when Hump goes to collect, he discovers he's been cheated out of his small jackpot. Chasing that hundred bucks leads the two friends into a maze of arson, embezzlement, and murder that will force them into staging a daring con game to snare a master swindler and a desperate killer. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis new edition includes the long-lost Ralph Dennis short story \u003ci\u003eWind Spirit. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA lightning-paced crime story packed with irreverence and loads of action. \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEverything one expects from a private eye novel: exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose.\u003ci\u003e Mystery Scene Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRalph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment. \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52593571758353,"sku":"NLS9781941298848","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53010600132881,"sku":"NIN9781941298848","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781941298848.jpg?v=1761068023"},{"product_id":"war-heist-book-ralph-dennis-9781732065697","title":"The War Heist","description":"\u003cb\u003eA superb thriller  Jack Higgins, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Eagle Has Landed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt's June 1940. War is raging in Europe. France is about to collapse to the Nazis. England is bracing for a devastating German invasion.and the fall of the British empire. In desperation, Winston Churchill sends the kingdom's wealth in gold bullion and securities to Canada for safekeeping. The first of these top secret shipments, traveling by sea to North America and then by train to Montreal, is worth over $500 million. A group of American soldiers are plotting to steal it. and only one man, a lowly agent for the Bank of England, stands in their way.\u003cbr\u003eA sweeping adventure spectacle. \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe action highballs along. \u003ci\u003eSt. Louis Post-Dispatch\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA first-rate novel of suspense. Edward L. Beach, author of \u003ci\u003eRun Silent, Run Deep\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA substantially different version of this book was previously published under the title \u003ci\u003eMacTaggart's War.\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52665645138193,"sku":"NLS9781732065697","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53010427150609,"sku":"NIN9781732065697","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781732065697.jpg?v=1762277858"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-ralph-dennis.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}