Hard Latitudes

A Nero Award Finalist

After twenty years in the LAPD, Mike Travis should be enjoying his retirement in Hawaii. Instead, he's become a reluctant PI who can't manage to stay out of trouble--much to the chagrin of his long-suffering girlfriend.

This time, the problem is his brother, Valden, head of the family company of Van de Groot Capital. A mover and shaker, he's in Los Angeles for a political fundraiser at the home of a powerful pharmaceutical titan. But first, he's being blackmailed. Someone has a compromising video of him and a young woman who is definitely not his wife--and they want three million dollars for it. That's when he calls Travis.

With his longtime connections in Los Angeles--including his former partner on the force--Travis has everything under control, until he doesn't. Now entangled in a web of murder, finance, and politics, only Travis can unravel a conspiracy international in scope--and unparalleled in evil . . .

"Birtcher is a solid, fluent writer; the story unfolds with good-humored ease, and Travis is a personable narrator . . . All of the elements are in place for a tense thriller." --Kirkus Reviews

"Well-executed . . . Readers will hope they don't have to wait another seven years for the world-weary Travis's next adventure." --Publishers Weekly

"A thrilling page turner with a very complicated plot that all comes together in the end . . . Highly recommended." --Detective Mystery Stories