Purgatory Chasm: A Mystery: 1 (A Conway Sax Mystery 1)

*Nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. *Winner of the Reviewers Choice Award from RT BookReviews for Best First Mystery. Tander Phigg was a real jerk but he was also a Barnburner. Barnburners saved my life. I help them when I can. No exceptions.. Conway Sax a no-nonsense auto mechanic with a knack for solving difficult problems has never liked Tander Phigg. But Tanders a Barnburner a member of the unique Alcoholics Anonymous group that rescued Conway and when a Barnburner has a problem Conway takes care of it. Besides all Tander wants is to get back his vintage Mercedes from a shady auto shop. But Conway soon discovers theres much more to the problem–especially when Tander turns up dead. . Conway was the last person seen with the victim and on top of that he has a record. He must catch the killer to clear himself but hes also a man who honors his promises even when the guy he made them to is dead. . In the tradition of Robert B. Parker and Dennis Lehane Steve Ulfelders crackling debut mystery features a gritty razor-sharp new voice in crime fiction that will stay with you long after the last page.. A refreshing new character solving hardcore crimes…. crisp plotting hard-boiled style and realistic dialogue. ―Associated Press . Combines elements of the thriller with tales of tangled families. Violence runs through the novel but Ulfelder tempers it with compassion ― and evocative prose. Purgatory Chasm may be hardboiled but its heart-wrenching too. –Richmond Times-Dispatch. Working throughout is the edgy self-effacing voice of a flawed main character a good guy with plenty of baggage whos just trying stay alive and to get it right this time. –The Boston Globe