The Gecko in The Corner

When the father he never knew shows up at his house in the middle of the night, beaten and his body mutilated, with only a vague explanation of what happened to him, Somerton County Deputy John Lee Quarrels suspects there's more to the story than he is being told. And when his father just as mysteriously disappears two days later, John Lee knows that there is trouble in store for him. It doesn't take long for it to show up. Soon he receives a late night visit by thugs from out of town, his home is burglarized, and he is being threatened by a mysterious caller who claims John Lee has something that belongs to him and he will do whatever it takes to get it back.

And those aren't his only problems! He is still dealing with his complicated personal life, what with his estranged wife dropping in for unannounced sleepovers and her oversexed sister coming by to tempt him, his pot smoking ponytailed grandfather, his Elvis obsessed grandmother, and being the target of Chief Deputy Flag Newton's animosity.

The mystery begins to unravel when the FBI comes calling, revealing just how deeply involved he has unwittingly become in his father's troubles. But there's a lot more in store for John Lee before this tale of intrigue reaches its dramatic conclusion.

As sultry as a Florida back road in August, as mysterious as the South's live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss, and as deadly as a copperhead strike, the second book in New York Times bestselling author Nick Russell's new John Lee Quarrels series will keep you listening late into the night.