Beasts of Valhalla — George C. Chesbro

He's an ex-circus performer turned hard-nosed New York private eye -- with a Ph.D. in criminology and a black belt to boot. He's also a dwarf -- which creates some problems even as it gives him special insight into the slings and arrows that pierce the human heart.

Now Mongo finds you can go home again -- if you want to risk getting killed. Back in his Nebraska hometown, Mongo investigates a teenager's grisly death. The trail leads into a strange computer game...and a top secret project code-named Valhalla, where the bizarre isn't just the stuff of fiction -- but evil made flesh and bones, and very, very real.