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Ed Lynskey
THE BLUE CHEER

P.I. Frank Johnson has moved to Scarab, West Virginia, drawn by the promise of lazy days and the lure of its tranquil mountains.

What he finds instead is a Stinger rocket exploding over his back yard. His ensuing investigation uncovers a cult called the Blue Cheer, a racist group with ugly terrorist plans. As events heat up, blood starts to spill, and for Frank it all gets real personal real quick. With the help of his bounty hunter pal, he sets out to bring the Blue Cheer to justice -- any way he can!

"Fast-paced and gripping, with well-drawn characters and a vividly described background, The Blue Cheer is a strong noir debut reminiscent of the work of Philip Atlee and others in the golden stable of Gold Medal writers. I look forward to Ed Lynskey's next."
Macavity and Shamus Award-winner Bill Pronzini, author of Nameless Detective mysteries

"The Blue Cheer is as well-written and well-plotted an example of the new Appalachian noir as you're likely to find. Ed Lynskey's hard-boiled narrative voice of rotagonist Frank Johnson is distinctive, entertaining, and uthentic."
Anthony and Shamus-nominee John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of The Second Chair, The Hearing, and The Oath.

"This pure sheer first rate mystery, the reason why we read the genre, and as long as we have such stunning grab-you-by-the-collar-and-not-let-go narrative, the future of mystery is not only assured, it's damn essential."
Macavity and Shamus-winner Ken Bruen, author of Jack Taylor series and White Trilogy

"It isn't often that a genuinely new
'voice' enters crime fiction, but that compliment definitely captures Frank Johnson, the hero of The Blue Cheer. Author Ed Lynskey chooses a West Virginia setting for this debut in novel-length format, and it proves a resounding success. The prose is spare, and the dialogue pitch-perfect."
Shamus Award-winner Jeremiah Healy, author of PI John Francis Cuddy mysteries

"This is a New Wave Gold Medal novel, intricate, harrowing, rich
in people good and bad, ripe with nasty surprise. Ed Lynskey
manages to honor his literary hero Charles Williams, bringing
that sensibility into the 21st century but adding the psycho
rage and psycho sorrow of our time into it as well. Something
new in New Wave."
Ellery Queen and Shamus Award-winner Ed Gorman, author of The Day the Music Died, Wake Up Little Susie, and Will You Love Me Tomorrow?

about the author

Ed Lynskey is a crime fiction writer and poet living near Washington, D.C. His first two books are mysteries featuring his PI Frank Johnson: THE DIRT-BROWN DERBY (Mundania Press, 2006) and THE BLUE CHEER (Point Blank/Wildside Press, 2007). Two sequels include PELHAM FELL HERE (Mundania Press, 2007) and TROGLODYTES (Mundania Press, 2008). His work has been anthologized by St. Martin's Press and University of Virginia Press. His short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. His poems have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly. His reviews have appeared in New York Times Book Review and Washington Post. His mystery fiction has been praised by Linda Fairstein, Ken Bruen, Bill Pronzini, and John Lutz.