Mike Shannon is used to taking on the hard cases. He’s a private investigator and ex-cop in St. Louis, and when the authorities throw up their hands, Shannon is there to bring the guilty to justice. But doing what’s right doesn’t mean keeping your hands clean: he’s stacked up quite a body count over the years—something he’s not proud of—and it’s beginning to take its toll on him.

When a teenage girl goes missing, Shannon takes what he believes will be a simple case. But when he finds cocaine hidden in the girl’s bedroom—cocaine that apparently came from the police department’s evidence room—things begin to get complicated. Things get even worse when Shannon begins to suspect his own ex-partner, who was brutally murdered, may be linked to the girl’s disappearance and the stolen drugs.

Shannon’s investigation of a possible runaway is shaping up into one hell of a case against police corruption and drug trafficking. As Shannon digs deeper, the danger escalates when he comes face to face with a dark figure from his past, a rogue CIA hitman known as the Sandman.

Shannon might be in over his head, but that’s never stopped him before. In all the confusion, Shannon is sure of one thing, he’s not done killing yet.

As Shannon’s past catches up with him, his two worlds collide and the dead bodies begin to litter the streets of St. Louis, with a trail of blood leading downtown to the Arch, The Gateway to Hell.”

From the reviewers:

“It’s an action-packed book that is really fun to read. ” – Briana Dwyer  |  11 reviewers made a similar statement

“Mike Shannon is a private eye who was a former St. Louis police officer. ” –martins4unc  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement

“Suspenseful and very well written. ” – stlcardinals fan  |  5 reviewers made a similar statement

Filled with authentic details and cop-speak, this is one thriller that you won’t be able to put down. I’m hoping for another Mike Shannon book soon.  –  T. Sparks

Ray Mileur’s first novel is terrific. Suspenseful and very well written. My favorite mystery author to date (J. A. Jance) now has competition  –  “stlcardinals fan”

Superb detective novel.  Great read in the best traditions of an troubled hero facing a darkness darker than himself, but without stepping into the footprints of the flatfoot stereotypes. As the layers unpeel, a kidnapping that would have been fairly simple for private investigator Mike Shannon turns by degrees into a case of police corruption and shadow government agents. And Mike Shannon’s past comes back to threaten him.  –  Brian G.

 

Visit Amazon’s Ray Mileur  Page

Ray Mileur was born in Murphysboro, Illinois in 1955. He is a former United States Marine (retired military), police chief and private investigator.

His writing career began in the late 1990s, when he founded a website, covering the St. Louis Cardinals and their minor league affiliates. After attracting over 10 million visitors, his website became an affiliate with Scout.com and Fox Sports. The crowning moment of Ray’s sports writing career came in 2008, with an invitation from former Cardinals’ manager, Billy Southworth’s family, to represent the manager and his family at the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York.

Ray is currently working on a series of novels that are loosely based on a lineup of characters from his own case files.

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