Drawing Dead — Pete Hautman

Ex-cop Joe Crow considers himself one hell of a poker player. He's almost forgotten what it's like to lose. But when he lets Laura Debrowski--a spike-haired burst of rock and roll in a Muzak world--play a few hands with his stack, he gets a quick reminder of how it feels to be down ... and dirty. The next thing Crow knows, he's owing a drug-addled stockbroker named Dickie Wicky a very large chunk of change. And Dickie's calling in his marker--not in cash but services: he wants Crow to tail his sexy wife, Catfish, find out who she's shacking up with, and pay the dude to walk....

But Crow's got competition. There are those who would prefer to see Catfish's lover dead. And as for Catfish ... First, she invites herself into Crow's bed. Then she draws him into the underbelly of Minneapolis--where card hustlers, con men, comic books, and cocaine combine in a wickedly clever tale of dark wit and scintillating suspense.