By Any Means

by Chris Culver

Overview

In this "smart and compelling crime novel," Muslim-American detective Ash Rashid is forced to confront a mastermind with a bloody vendetta — and track down an abducted witness before it's too late (Jeff Abbott).

Ash Rashid thought his days as a homicide detective were over. Now, with the police force's community relations department, he gives speeches at elementary schools instead of tracking criminals.


But when he discovers two dead bodies during his evening commute, Ash finds himself back on active duty. As he races to identify the victims and track down an abducted witness, Ash realizes that nothing is what it seems. Every clue — every suspect — leads to new questions and new threats.


Ash's quest for the truth soon leads him into the dark mind of a master criminal, and Ash has sacrificed too much to back down . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455525980
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	05/06/2014
Series:	Ash Rashid Series , #3
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	758,938
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Chris Culver is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ash Rashid series of mysteries. After graduate school, Chris taught courses in ethics and comparative religion at a small liberal arts university in southern Arkansas. Between classes, he wrote The Abbey, which spent sixteen weeks on the New York Times ebook bestseller list. He, his wife, and their Labrador retriever currently live near St. Louis, Missouri, where Chris is working on his next novel.

Editorial Reviews

03/10/2014
At the outset of Culver’s intricately plotted third procedural featuring Det. Sgt. Ash Rashid (after 2013’s The Outsider), Ash, who’s currently serving on the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department community-relations team, comes across what appears to be a single car accident on his way home. He quickly discovers that the driver and passenger have been murdered while a passing Good Samaritan has been kidnapped. The passenger turns out to be the daughter of local drug lord Konstantin Bukoholov, with whom Ash has had past dealings. Unfortunately, FBI agents have discovered this connection and show surveillance footage of Ash and Konstantin to Ash’s superiors. A tip from Konstantin, though, leads Ash to the Dandelion Inn, a suburban drug trafficking and sex trade site. Ash makes some questionable decisions, preferring to fight for innocents rather than adhere strictly to the law. Readers will look forward to seeing more of the complex Ash, an observant Muslim who maintains a fingernail grip on sobriety (May)

Publishers Weekly

"This is a first-class cop novel [with] richly portrayed contextual details [and] the author works, with great success, to bring freshness to the genre's conventions: the hero's greenhorn partner, the meddlesome feds, the surly superior, the worried wife...Culver's skill makes all this obsessively readable."—Booklist

"Intricately plotted...Readers will look forward to seeing more of the complex Ash."—Publisher's Weekly

"Ultimately, the reason to come to this book and stay is Rashid...His navigation through the [criminal justice] system—and his own heart—is ultimately what makes The Outsider such a joy to read...This and future volumes should be snapped up as quickly as the author can write them."—BookReporter.com

"What elevates and sets The Outsider apart from so many other mystery novels out there is the intriguing Muslim-American detective Ash Rashid and the heartland Indianapolis location — both gutsy choices. Chris Culver is a writer to watch for years to come."—C.J. Box, New York Times bestselling author of Breaking Point and The Highway

"The Outsider is a smart and compelling crime novel, and Ash Rashid is a tough yet tender-hearted hero. Chris Culver is a daring new voice in crime fiction. Highly recommended."—Jeff Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of Downfall

"A tale that offers...novelty within a standard cops versus drug dealers plot."—Publishers Weekly on The Abbey

"Ash's struggles to resist the temptations of alcohol, forbidden by his Muslim faith, add depth to his character. Readers will be curious to see what happens to him in his next outing."—Publishers Weekly on The Outsider

From the Publisher

"The Outsider is a smart and compelling crime novel, and Ash Rashid is a tough yet tender-hearted hero. Chris Culver is a daring new voice in crime fiction. Highly recommended."

Jeff Abbott

"What elevates and sets The Outsider apart from so many other mystery novels out there is the intriguing Muslim-American detective Ash Rashid and the heartland Indianapolis location -- both gutsy choices. Chris Culver is a writer to watch for years to come."

C.J. Box

"Ultimately, the reason to come to this book and stay is Rashid...His navigation through the [criminal justice] system--and his own heart--is ultimately what makes The Outsider such a joy to read...This and future volumes should be snapped up as quickly as the author can write them."

BookReporter.com

2014-04-03
An Indianapolis cop is pulled way outside his comfort zone—or deeper into it?—when he tangles with a sexual-slavery ring. D S Ashraf Rashid may have been reassigned to Community Service after his troubled last case (The Outsider, 2013), but he's the one who discovers a crashed Mercedes with two dead bodies sitting inside. Capt. Mike Bowers, the head of Crimes Against Persons, names Ash to head the investigation and assigns detectives Greg Doran and Tim Smith to work under him. Given their history with Ash, neither is crazy about the assignment. Smith in particular alternates between smoldering with resentment and scheming to get Ash tossed off the force. Identifying the dead bodies as those of Daniel and Kara Elliot leads Ash to the Dandelion Inn, a bed-and-breakfast that's a lot more interested in bed than breakfast, and brings him once again into a reluctant dance with someone else with whom he has a fraught history: politically connected gangster Konstantin Bukoholov, Kara's father. The revelations of human trafficking, official corruption and infighting among and within law enforcement agencies are sordid, messy and ultimately not all that interesting. What sets the tale apart is its hero: a religious Muslim with a drinking problem, a long-suffering wife and a keen delight in cutting legal and ethical corners to bring in the bad guys. Seldom has a police procedural been so aptly titled. Ash does eventually solve the case, though not to anyone's satisfaction. But even at the fade-out, it seems as if his family may have to wait a long time for his next quiet dinner with them.

Kirkus Reviews