Most Popular Books by Steve Hamilton

"Hypnotic . . . a proven master of suspense moves in a brand new direction―and the result is can''t-put-it-down spectacular." ―Lee Child "Too good for words" ( The New York Times Book Review ) . Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel and an Alex Award. Steve Hamilton steps away from his award–winning Alex McKnight series to introduce a unique new character, unlike anyone you''ve ever seen in the world of crime fiction. "I was the Miracle Boy, once upon a time. Later on, the Milford Mute. The Golden Boy. The Young Ghost. The Kid. The Boxman. The Lock Artist. That was all me. But you can call me Mike." Marked by tragedy, traumatized at the age of eight, Michael, now eighteen, is no ordinary young man. Besides not uttering a single word in ten years, he discovers the one thing he can somehow do better than anyone else. Whether it''s a locked door without a key, a padlock with no combination, or even an eight-hundred pound safe . . . . . he can open them all. It''s an unforgivable talent. A talent that will make young Michael a hot commodity with the wrong people and, whether he likes it or not, push him ever close to a life of crime. Until he finally sees his chance to escape, and with one desperate gamble risks everything to come back home to the only person he ever loved, and to unlock the secret that has kept him silent for so long. Praise for Steve Hamilton and The Lock Artist : "Hamilton . . . understands what''s truly scary, what''s truly suspenseful." ― The Washington Post "The Lock Artist is superior in every way: intriguing, carefully crafted characters and a devious plot, all told in the haunting voice of a young man who has no voice. Just for spice, there''s a really good love story, too. . ." ― The Globe and Mail "I haven''t read a book this captivating in a long time. The Lock Artist is gutsy, genuine and, flat out, a great read. You won''t be disappointed." ―Michael Connelly

Reluctantly returning to Detroit to confront the trauma of a shooting that left his partner dead, Alex McKnight investigates an untapped clue and discovers that the man sentenced for the crime may not have been the killer.

Investigating the disappearance of a hunting group in the woods of northern Ontario, Alex McKnight finds himself deep in the wilderness, lacking food and weapons and at the mercy of a killer who would prevent everyone''s return.

A Cold Day in Paradise won both the Edgar and Shamus awards for Best First Novel, launching Steve Hamilton into the top ranks of today''s crime writers. Other than the bullet lodged near his heart, former Detroit cop Alex McKnight thought he had put the nightmare of his partner''s death and his own near-fatal injury behind him. After all, the man convicted of the crimes has been locked away for years. But in the small town of Paradise, Michigan, where McKnight has traded his badge for a cabin in the woods, a murderer with the same unmistakable trademarks appears to be back. McKnight can''t understand who else would know the intimate details of the old murders. And it seems like it''ll be a frozen day in Hell before McKnight can unravel truth from deception in a town that''s anything but Paradise.

Private detective Alex McKnight agrees to help a young Native American woman escape from her abusive husband, but when the woman disappears, Alex risks his own life to save her.

"I''m often asked to recommend a detective series readers might have missed. This is it." ―Harlan Coben Award-winning author Steve Hamilton''s Die A Stranger, an instant New York Times bestseller, further cements his reputation as one of the best in the business. Late one night, a plane lands on a deserted airstrip. Five dead bodies are found there the next morning. And now Vinnie LeBlanc is missing. Vinnie is a member of the Ojibwa Indian tribe and he just might be Alex McKnight''s best friend. So Alex can''t help but be worried when he disappears. There''s a deadly crime war creeping into Michigan''s Upper Peninsula, and Alex never would have thought that his friend could be involved. But after an unexpected stranger arrives in town, Alex will soon find out that the stakes are higher than he ever could have imagined. Praise for Steve Hamilton and the Alex McKnight novels: "A proven master of suspense." ―Lee Child "As original as any writer I''ve ever read . . ." —Michael Connelly "Already one of our best writers." ―Laura Lippman "I really like his main character, Alex McKnight, and I''m ready to revisit Paradise, Michigan." ―James Patterson "Whatever he writes, I''ll read. Steve Hamilton'' that good." —Don Winslow

Alex McKnight has to deal with drug dealers after rescuing three men from a boating accident.

An atmospheric standalone thriller from the award-winning author of the acclaimed, bestselling Alex McKnight series. "A proven master of suspense." ―Lee Child Joe Trumbull is not a man who scares easily. But tonight he is scared to death. It''s been two years since Joe''s fiancée, Laurel, was murdered. Two years of grief and loneliness. On this hot summer night, he''s finally going on a blind date, his first since Laurel''s death. He''s not looking for love, just testing the waters to see if it''s possible to live a normal life again. And after the first awkward minutes, Joe starts to think this date wasn''t such a bad idea after all. In fact, maybe it will turn out to be one of the best things that ever happened to him. He couldn''t be more wrong. Because somehow, for reasons Joe doesn''t yet understand, this one evening will mark the beginning of a new nightmare. A nightmare that will lead him to realize that the past is never past. And the worst is yet to come. Praise for Steve Hamilton: "As original as any writer I''ve ever read . . ." —Michael Connelly "Already one of our best writers." ―Laura Lippman "Whatever he writes, I''ll read. Steve Hamilton'' that good." —Don Winslow

His work follows depressed private detective Alex McKnight into his personal life when the poker game he joins is robbed at gunpoint and he finds himself compelled to catch the thief.

Alex McKnight--hero of Steve Hamilton''s bestselling, award-winning, and beloved private eye series--is back in a high-stakes, nail-biting thriller, facing the most dangerous enemy he''s ever encountered. On the Mediterranean Sea, a vacationer logs on to the security-camera feed from his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. Something about his living room seems not quite right--the room is bright, when he''s certain he''d left the curtains closed. Rewinding through the feed, he sees an intruder. When he shifts to the bedroom camera, he sees the dead body. Martin T. Livermore is the key suspect in the abduction and murder of at least five women, but he''s never been this sloppy before. When the FBI finally catches him in Scottsdale, he declares he''ll only talk to one person: a retired police officer from Detroit, now a private investigator living in the tiny town of Paradise, Michigan. A man named Alex McKnight. Livermore means nothing to McKnight, but it soon becomes clear McKnight means something to Livermore...and that Livermore''s capture was only the beginning of an elaborate, twisted plot with McKnight at the center. In a hunt that will take him across the country and to the edge of his limits, McKnight fights to stop a vicious killer before he can exact his ultimate revenge. And his grand finale will cut closer to home than he ever could have imagined.

One is too many. A thousand is never enough.'' ''Andrea arrived in rehab at the same time as me. We were in admissions together. I can''t remember how many times she''d tried to get clean, but it was my eleventh institution and I was dying. For two days I listened to her withdrawal in a room just down the passage from mine. The screaming, the swearing, the crying - and the hideous, desperate ka-klung! of the bars on the side of the bed as she wrestled with the restraints that kept her tied to it. I don''t know what damage they thought she could have done really. Andrea had had all the tips of her fingers amputated. She''d got gangrene from shooting up under her nails too many times ...'' At the age of fifteen I already had a criminal record, busted by the drug squad for possession of an illegal substance. You''d think I''d have learnt a lesson, wouldn''t you, but I''m still learning, even though I''m clean of street drugs now - well, just for today - and have a lot of clean time behind me. The hardest lesson of all for an addict is that the nightmare is never over and the powerful seduction of just one more high never ever goes away. The story in these pages is not a comfortable one. It doesn''t have an ending and I''m not even sure if it has a true beginning. Some of the time it may read like a bad dream. It isn''t. It''s my life you''re holding in your hands. Don''t let it be yours.

A man and a woman - both police officers find each other and share the burden of losing their partners.

On a frozen January night, a young man hangs himself in a lonely corner of the Upper Peninsula, in a place they call Misery Bay. Alex McKnight does not know this young man, and he won''t even hear about the suicide until two months later, when the last person Alex would ever expect comes to him for help. What seems like a simple quest to find a few answers will turn into a nightmare of sudden violence and bloody revenge, and a race against time to catch a ruthless and methodical killer. McKnight knows all about evil. Mobsters, drug dealers, hit men—he''s seen them all, and they''ve taken away almost everything he''s ever loved. But none of them could have ever prepared him for the darkness he''s about to face. A New York Times bestseller, Michigan Notable Book, and Boston Globe Best Crime Book of the Year, Steve Hamilton''s Misery Bay marks the return of one of crime fiction''s most critically acclaimed series.

"Nick Mason is given a daunting new mission -- to find witnesses under federal protection and kill them before they can testify against his master Darius Cole"--

A fast-paced, punch of a book from Edgar and Shamus Award–winning author Steve Hamilton, "a proven master of suspense" (Lee Child). Before the tragic event that made him seek refuge in a remote corner of Michigan''s Upper Peninsula, Alex McKnight was a Detroit police officer. It''s a warm summer night, and Alex is out riding the night shift with his partner Franklin. There''s no shortage of trouble to be found on the dark streets of Motown. But on this particular night, Franklin has his own agenda. A must-read for any fan of Steve Hamilton and the Alex McNight books. Praise for Steve Hamilton "As original as any writer I''ve ever read." —Michael Connelly "Whatever he writes, I''ll read. Steve Hamilton''s that good." —Don Winslow

Before he became a private investigator, before he served in the Detroit police, and long before he retreated to the wintry reaches of Michigan''s Upper Peninsula, Alex McKnight played ball in the minor leagues. He doesn''t spend much time thinking about those days, at least not until a former teammate comes looking for him. . . . The man''s here to ask a favor. He wants Alex to help him find the woman with whom he had a brief, passionate affair three decades ago. Who is Alex to deny his friend a chance to ward off a classic midlife chill by rekindling an old flame? But as the search deepens, McKnight begins to suspect that he hasn''t been told the full story. And there might just be a reason why this mysterious woman is so hard to find. The Hunting Wind continues Steve Hamilton''s award-winning and New York Times-bestselling Alex McKnight series.