Deadly Negatives

by Russell Hill

Overview

Deadly Negatives, starts innocently enough with a photographer discovering some black-and-white negatives hidden in a camera box. Wanting to find out about the photos leads him to people and places he didn't expect, not all of them friendly, and to long-unsolved crimes by prominent and and powerful people. Suddenly those negatives become extremely dangerous to possess.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940044732162
Publisher:	Pleasure Boat Studio: A Literary Press
Publication date:	07/19/2012
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	267 KB

About the Author

Russell Hill has published poetry, essays, short stories, and novels. Three times a finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe prize from the Mystery Writers of America, he has also written for outdoor magazines, and is the author of The Search for Sheepheaven Trout, The Edge of the Earth and Lucy Boomer. The recipient of a Fulbright Award, he spent a year in England as an English teacher, and taught high school students for more than 50 years. An avid fly fisherman, he is married, with three children. He has lived most of his life in California.

Editorial Reviews

Set in California, Edgar-finalist Hill’s fifth novel opens as a tribute to a bygone era in photography, then segues into a cinematic, fast-paced thriller. On a visit to his local equipment shop, professional photographer Michael McSwain thinks he’s found a great deal in a classic Leica camera, which once belonged to the late, celebrated photojournalist Aaron Sturgis. His luck turns after he discovers negatives hidden in the camera box and, ignoring advice to destroy them from Aaron’s seductive widow, Emma, develops what proves to be documentary evidence of American atrocities in Vietnam. Thugs soon appear intent on destroying the photos, while Olivia, Emma’s equally enticing daughter, enlists him to blackmail the now wealthy politician depicted among the young soldiers. Skinner, a cunning sociopath and the book’s most arresting character, takes over Olivia’s blackmail scheme. Hill (The Dog Sox) delivers another lean, satisfying exercise in hard-boiled fiction. Agent: Bonnie Nadell, Hill Nadell Literary Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Photographer Michael McSwain finds loose negatives in the box that came with his newly purchased camera, which was once owned by recently deceased documentary photographer Aaron Sturgis. It turns out that Sturgis had captured images of a Vietnam War-era platoon committing crimes that could ruin powerful individuals. For years, one of the photographed men has been mailing monthly checks to Sturgis, but now that he's dead, the negatives are supposed to be destroyed. The blackmail scheme escalates into a twisty tale of vengeance when Michael investigates. His curiosity backfires as he and Sturgis's renegade daughter get involved with a man who smells big profits. This unlikely trio forms an uneasy alliance, but the real challenge is surviving the blackmail standoff, which grows increasingly violent. VERDICT It is a Pandora's-box dilemma for Hill's protagonist, who quickly slips into a noir world in this dynamic stand-alone title. Find out why cult favorite Hill (The Dog Sox) is a frequent Edgar Award nominee. His pacing and characters will suit fans of Bill Cameron, Christa Faust, and Jesse Kellerman.

Library Journal