Smokey Dalton Series

"This is mystery fiction at its highest, most gripping level." Chicago Tribune On the run after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Private Investigator Smokey Dalton has settled under an assumed name in Chicago. But history won't leave him alone. His job in security at the Chicago Hilton places him in the center of the protests at the 1968 Democratic Convention. Worse, a killer works his South Side neighborhood. Smokey can't ignore the crimes, any more than he can ignore the tension building in the city that hot August. He must take action, before he loses everything. Chosen as one of the top ten mystery novels of the year by both Deadly Pleasures and Booklist, Smoke-Filled Rooms fulfills the promise of the award-winning A Dangerous Road, and makes Smokey Dalton into one of the mystery field's most memorable detectives. Read the whole gripping series: A Dangerous Road, Book 1 Smoke-Filled Rooms, Book 2 Thin Walls, Book 3 Stone Cribs, Book 4 War at Home, Book 5 Days of Rage, Book 6 Street Justice, Book 7 "A blistering rendition of the'60s racial wars marks this series as a standout as early as its second entry. You don't need to be a fan of private-eye novels to admire Smokey: You just need a conscience." Kirkus Reviews starred review  "Nelscott does a superb job of using a familiar historical moment to dramatize an intimate human drama, as Smokey and Jimmy struggle to avoid becoming anonymous casualties lost behind the headlines. This series has all the passion and precision of Walter Mosley's early Easy Rawlins novels, but it is not derivative. In fact, Smokey just may be a more compelling character than the celebrated Easy." Booklist starred review Kris Nelscott is an open pen name used by New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch.  The first Smokey Dalton novel, A Dangerous Road, won the Herodotus Award for Best Historical Mystery and was short-listed for the Edgar Award for Best Novel; the second, Smoke-Filled Rooms, was a PNBA Book Award finalist; and the third, Thin Walls, was one of the Chicago Tribune's best mysteries of the year. Kirkus chose Days of Rage as one of the top ten mysteries of the year and it was also nominated for a Shamus award for The Best Private Eye Hardcover Novel of the Year.  Entertainment Weekly says her equals are Walter Mosley and Raymond Chandler. Booklist calls the Smokey Dalton books "a high-class crime series" and Salon says "Kris Nelscott can lay claim to the strongest series of detective novels now being written by an American author."

Herodotus Award winner for Best Historical Mystery "Kris Nelscott can lay claim to the strongest series of detective novels now being written by an American author." —Salon Who is Smokey Dalton? Private Investigator Smokey Dalton works for Memphis, Tennessee's black community. He has almost no interaction with the white hierarchy, even though they exist only blocks away. So he's surprised the day a white woman walks into his Beale Street office. Laura Hathaway has sought him out because he's a beneficiary in her mother's will, and Laura wants to know why. So does Smokey. He's never heard of the Hathaways, but his search will take him on a journey that will change everything he's ever known. Set against the backdrop of the strike and protests that will end with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, A Dangerous Road combines the politics of race, betrayal, unexpected love, and the terrible cost of trust. It's a story so memorable the Mystery Writers of America chose it as one of the top five novels of the year and the Historical Mystery Appreciation Society honored it as the winner of the Herodotus Award for Best Historical Mystery. What the critics say: "Powerful stuff, with a role for every major black actor in Hollywood."—Kirkus Reviews "More than just offering a puzzle, this novel encourages self-examination about identity, responsibility and the consequences of choices. Smokey proves himself a man of conscience able to make tough choices." —Publishers Weekly "Nelscott's series setting, in the turbulent late '60s, gives her books layers of issues of racism, class, and war, all of which still seem to remain sadly timely today." —Oregonian "It's not hard to draw parallels between Nelscott's PI Smokey Dalton and Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins, another secretive, canny black man trying to solve mysteries while circumspectly navigating the white world. But Dalton's no knock-off. (Would you label the hundreds of hard-boiled detectives who've appeared in Raymond Chandler's wake mere Marlow Xeroxes because they're white?)" —Entertainment Weekly The Smokey Dalton books are "a high-class crime series." —Booklist Read the whole series of gripping novels: A Dangerous Road Smoke-Filled Rooms Thin Walls Stone Cribs War at Home Days of Rage Street Justice Awards for the series: The first Smokey Dalton novel, A Dangerous Road, won the Herodotus Award for Best Historical Mystery and was short-listed for the Edgar Award for Best Novel; the second, Smoke-Filled Rooms, was a PNBA Book Award finalist; and the third, Thin Walls, was one of the Chicago Tribune's best mysteries of the year. Kirkus chose Days of Rage as one of the top ten mysteries of the year and it was also nominated for a Shamus award for the Best Private Eye Hardcover Novel of the Year. Street Justice was nominated for a Shamus award for the Best Original Paperback P.I. Novel. Kris Nelscott is an open pen name used by New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch. 

New! Reader's Guide Edition With Discussion Questions  "Kris Nelscott can lay claim to the strongest series of detective novels now being written by an American author." —Salon Who is Smokey Dalton? Private Investigator Smokey Dalton works for Memphis, Tennessee's black community. He has almost no interaction with the white hierarchy, even though they exist only blocks away. So he's surprised the day a white woman walks into his Beale Street office. Laura Hathaway has sought him out because he's a beneficiary in her mother's will, and Laura wants to know why. So does Smokey. He's never heard of the Hathaways, but his search will take him on a journey that will challenge everything he's ever known, including his own identity. Set against the backdrop of the strike and protests that will end with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, A Dangerous Road combines the politics of race, betrayal, unexpected love, and the terrible cost of trust. It's a story so memorable the Mystery Writers of America chose it as one of the top five novels of the year and the Historical Mystery Appreciation Society honored it as the winner of the Herodotus Award for Best Historical Mystery. What the critics say:  "Powerful stuff, with a role for every major black actor in Hollywood."—Kirkus Reviews  "More than just offering a puzzle, this novel encourages self-examination about identity, responsibility and the consequences of choices. Smokey proves himself a man of conscience able to make tough choices." —Publishers Weekly  "Nelscott's series setting, in the turbulent late '60s, gives her books layers of issues of racism, class, and war, all of which still seem to remain sadly timely today." —Oregonian  "It's not hard to draw parallels between Nelscott's PI Smokey Dalton and Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins, another secretive, canny black man trying to solve mysteries while circumspectly navigating the white world. But Dalton's no knock-off. (Would you label the hundreds of hard-boiled detectives who've appeared in Raymond Chandler's wake mere Marlow Xeroxes because they're white?)" —Entertainment Weekly The Smokey Dalton books are "a high-class crime series." —Booklist Read the whole series of gripping novels: A Dangerous Road Smoke-Filled Rooms Thin Walls Stone Cribs War at Home Days of Rage Street Justice Awards for the series: The first Smokey Dalton novel, A Dangerous Road, won the Herodotus Award for Best Historical Mystery and was short-listed for the Edgar Award for Best Novel; the second, Smoke-Filled Rooms, was a PNBA Book Award finalist; and the third, Thin Walls, was one of the Chicago Tribune's best mysteries of the year. Kirkus chose Days of Rage as one of the top ten mysteries of the year and it was also nominated for a Shamus award for the Best Private Eye Hardcover Novel of the Year. Street Justice was nominated for a Shamus award for the Best Original Paperback P.I. Novel. Kris Nelscott is an open pen name used by New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch. 

"Kris Nelscott can lay claim to the strongest series of detective novels now being written by an American author." Salon Smokey Dalton and Jimmy, the young boy he protects, have settled into a new life on Chicago's South Side. But when Smokey gets hired to investigate the death of a black man in a local park, he realizes that the murder might not be an isolated case. The Chicago Police Department doesn't really investigate black deaths, particularly near the South Side.  The case forces Smokey to dig deeper into the history of the area, a history that includes gangs, racism, and secrets so dark they threaten his very existence. Chosen as one of the top ten mystery novels of the year by the Chicago Tribune, Thin Walls shows why Publisher's Weekly gave it a starred review, and Booklist calls it "another fine entry in an outstanding series." Read the whole gripping series: A Dangerous Road, Book 1 Smoke-Filled Rooms, Book 2 Thin Walls, Book 3 Stone Cribs, Book 4 War at Home, Book 5 Days of Rage, Book 6 Street Justice, Book 7  "Somebody needs to say that Kris Nelscott is engaged in an ongoing fictional study of a thorny era in American political and racial history. If that's not enough to get 'serious' critics and readers to pay attention to her, it's their loss." Charles Taylor, Salon Kris Nelscott is an open pen name used by New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch.  The first Smokey Dalton novel, A Dangerous Road, won the Herodotus Award for Best Historical Mystery and was short-listed for the Edgar Award for Best Novel; the second, Smoke-Filled Rooms, was a PNBA Book Award finalist; and the third, Thin Walls, was one of the Chicago Tribune's best mysteries of the year. Kirkus chose Days of Rage as one of the top ten mysteries of the year and it was also nominated for a Shamus award for The Best Private Eye Hardcover Novel of the Year.  Entertainment Weekly says her equals are Walter Mosley and Raymond Chandler. Booklist calls the Smokey Dalton books "a high-class crime series."

 "Kris Nelscott can lay claim to the strongest series of detective novels now being written by an American author. " Salon Smokey Dalton takes on the dangerous world of back-street abortionists in pre-Roe Chicago. After attending a charity fundraiser, private investigator Smokey Dalton and his powerful girlfriend discover a critically injured woman in his neighbor's apartment, and his neighbor missing. Smokey gets the woman to a nearby hospital which proves to be a mistake: the doctor won't treat the dying woman until she tells him what happened to her. Smokey works to save the woman and find his neighbor, but everything he does makes the situation worse.  Smokey has entered a secret part of America—the arcane rules of a hospital trying to follow the law as well as save lives. None of it makes sense, and all of it threatens everything Smokey believes in.  "Without the slightest hint of preaching, Nelscott brilliantly illuminates the ugliness of that era-which defines Smokey's world but does not destroy him. Because of Nelscott's strong hand, it also does not overwhelm the drama of this remarkable story. " —Publishers Weekly starred review Read the whole gripping series: A Dangerous Road, Book 1 Smoke-Filled Rooms, Book 2 Thin Walls, Book 3 Stone Cribs, Book 4 War at Home, Book 5 Days of Rage, Book 6 Street Justice, Book 7 "Like the best of Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer stories, Kris Nelscott's Smokey Dalton novels are infused with an understanding of the social, political, and moral complexities of the community in which they're set. Her characters not only struggle with the contradictions that rule them but are in perpetual conflict with their surroundings. Thus, brutality is no surprise, but then neither is an act of kindness. The most dilapidated building may house a gentle soul or a rabid criminal, and so too may a luxurious home. This type of subtlety treats readers with a level of respect that makes for a rich, rewarding experience, and so it is with Stone Cribs, Nelscott's exceptional new novel." —The Boston Globe Kris Nelscott is an open pen name used by New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch.  The first Smokey Dalton novel, A Dangerous Road, won the Herodotus Award for Best Historical Mystery and was short-listed for the Edgar Award for Best Novel; the second, Smoke-Filled Rooms, was a PNBA Book Award finalist; and the third, Thin Walls, was one of the Chicago Tribune's best mysteries of the year. Kirkus chose Days of Rage as one of the top ten mysteries of the year and it was also nominated for a Shamus award for The Best Private Eye Hardcover Novel of the Year.  Entertainment Weekly says her equals are Walter Mosley and Raymond Chandler. Booklist calls the Smokey Dalton books  "a high-class crime series."

"Kris Nelscott can lay claim to the strongest series of detective novels now being written by an American author." Salon Chicago, 1969: The trial of eight protestors from the Democratic Convention the previous year has the whole world watching—and all of Chicagoland on edge. Smokey Dalton feels the pressure: more cops on the streets, more FBI in his neighborhood. But when the landlord at one of Sturdy Investments' South Side properties dies alone in his apartment, Smokey agrees to investigate. He finds old human bones in the basement, along with hints of more. Smokey and his girlfriend, Sturdy's CEO Laura Hathaway, worry that Laura's father knew who used that basement and why. Without involving law enforcement, they decide to hold a thorough investigation and discover secrets they never ever imagined, secrets that could threaten Smokey, Laura, Sturdy, and one of Chicago's greatest institutions. Secrets worth killing for.  "When Kris Nelscott started her impressive series about Smokey Dalton…, many critics and readers wondered how long she could keep up the pace. Days of Rage, her sixth book in the Dalton series, indicates there seems to be no end in sight." —Chicago Tribune Read the whole gripping series: A Dangerous Road, Book 1 Smoke-Filled Rooms, Book 2 Thin Walls, Book 3 Stone Cribs, Book 4 War at Home, Book 5 Days of Rage, Book 6 Street Justice, Book 7 Kris Nelscott is an open pen name used by New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch.  The first Smokey Dalton novel, A Dangerous Road, won the Herodotus Award for Best Historical Mystery and was short-listed for the Edgar Award for Best Novel; the second, Smoke-Filled Rooms, was a PNBA Book Award finalist; and the third, Thin Walls, was one of the Chicago Tribune's best mysteries of the year. Kirkus chose Days of Rage as one of the top ten mysteries of the year and it was also nominated for a Shamus award for The Best Private Eye Hardcover Novel of the Year.  Entertainment Weekly says her equals are Walter Mosley and Raymond Chandler. Booklist calls the Smokey Dalton books "a high-class crime series" and Salon says "Kris Nelscott can lay claim to the strongest series of detective novels now being written by an American author."

 "Kris Nelscott can lay claim to the strongest series of detective novels now being written by an American author. " Salon After attending a charity fundraiser, private investigator Smokey Dalton and his powerful girlfriend discover a critically injured woman in his neighbor's apartment, and his neighbor missing. Smokey gets the woman to a nearby hospital which proves to be a mistake: the doctor won't treat the dying woman until she tells him what happened to her. Smokey works to save the woman and find his neighbor, but everything he does makes the situation worse.  Smokey has entered a secret part of America—the arcane rules of a hospital trying to follow the law as well as save lives. None of it makes sense, and all of it threatens everything Smokey believes in.  "Without the slightest hint of preaching, Nelscott brilliantly illuminates the ugliness of that era-which defines Smokey's world but does not destroy him. Because of Nelscott's strong hand, it also does not overwhelm the drama of this remarkable story. " —Publishers Weekly starred review Read the whole gripping series: A Dangerous Road, Book 1 Smoke-Filled Rooms, Book 2 Thin Walls, Book 3 Stone Cribs, Book 4 War at Home, Book 5 Days of Rage, Book 6 Street Justice, Book 7 "Like the best of Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer stories, Kris Nelscott's Smokey Dalton novels are infused with an understanding of the social, political, and moral complexities of the community in which they're set. Her characters not only struggle with the contradictions that rule them but are in perpetual conflict with their surroundings. Thus, brutality is no surprise, but then neither is an act of kindness. The most dilapidated building may house a gentle soul or a rabid criminal, and so too may a luxurious home. This type of subtlety treats readers with a level of respect that makes for a rich, rewarding experience, and so it is with Stone Cribs, Nelscott's exceptional new novel." —The Boston Globe Kris Nelscott is an open pen name used by New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch.  The first Smokey Dalton novel, A Dangerous Road, won the Herodotus Award for Best Historical Mystery and was short-listed for the Edgar Award for Best Novel; the second, Smoke-Filled Rooms, was a PNBA Book Award finalist; and the third, Thin Walls, was one of the Chicago Tribune's best mysteries of the year. Kirkus chose Days of Rage as one of the top ten mysteries of the year and it was also nominated for a Shamus award for The Best Private Eye Hardcover Novel of the Year.  Entertainment Weekly says her equals are Walter Mosley and Raymond Chandler. Booklist calls the Smokey Dalton books  "a high-class crime series."

"Kris Nelscott can lay claim to the strongest series of detective novels now being written by an American author." Salon In the first week of the new decade, an emergency phone call shatters Chicago Private Detective Smokey Dalton's hopes for a good 1970. His adopted son Jimmy and Jimmy's best friend and cousin Keith Grimshaw need help.  Smokey arrives at a South Side hotel across from the boys' school in time to clean up a horrible mess, one the boys mostly solve on their own. But the boys' heroic actions echo across all of Chicago. Smokey finds himself standing alone against street gangs, the mob, and the Democratic Machine.  If he fights this battle and fails, he stands to lose not only Jimmy and their future together, but also his life.  A finalist for the 2015 Shamus Award for Best Original Paperback P.I. Novel by the Private Eye Writers of America. "Easy comparisons can be made to Dave Robicheaux, Spenser, and Easy Rawlins, but Smokey is his own man. Women want to be near him and cook his dinner as he settles his nerves with three fingers of Scotch. A great read for fans of detectives guarding an inner city's grimy streets."—Library Journal "Dalton's hard won small victory vividly illustrates a turbulent period of our recent cultural history."—Publishers Weekly "... a gripping read that drags us deeper into [Smokey] Dalton's uneasy world."—Entertainment Weekly on War at Home Read the whole gripping series: A Dangerous Road, Book 1 Smoke-Filled Rooms, Book 2 Thin Walls, Book 3 Stone Cribs, Book 4 War at Home, Book 5 Days of Rage, Book 6 Street Justice, Book 7 Acclaim for the Smokey Dalton Series • Edgar Award nomination • Shamus nomination for Best Private Eye Hardcover Novel • Winner of two Spotted Owl Awards for Best Mystery by a Northwest Writer  • Oregon Book Award Nomination Kris Nelscott is an open pen name used by New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch.  The first Smokey Dalton novel, A Dangerous Road, won the Herodotus Award for Best Historical Mystery and was short-listed for the Edgar Award for Best Novel; the second, Smoke-Filled Rooms, was a PNBA Book Award finalist; and the third, Thin Walls, was one of the Chicago Tribune's best mysteries of the year. Kirkus chose Days of Rage as one of the top ten mysteries of the year and it was also nominated for a Shamus award for The Best Private Eye Hardcover Novel of the Year.  Entertainment Weekly says her equals are Walter Mosley and Raymond Chandler. Booklist calls the Smokey Dalton books "a high-class crime series" and Salon says "Kris Nelscott can lay claim to the strongest series of detective novels now being written by an American author."

Called "an outstanding series" by Booklist and "triumphant" by the Chicago Tribune, Kris Nelscott's Smokey Dalton mysteries boast numerous awards, including finalists for the Edgar and Shamus awards.  The Oregonian says: "The Nelscott series setting, in the turbulent late '60s, gives her books layers of issues of racism, class, and war, all of which still seem to remain sadly timely today." And Entertainment Weekly says of the main character: "It's not hard to draw parallels between Nelscott's PI Smokey Dalton and Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins…" This ebook contains a list of all of the books in the series in reading order, with covers, descriptions, reviews, and links to buy.

Private detective Smokey Dalton does his best to protect his adopted family, from his 11-year-old son Jimmy to his friends, the Grimshaws.  But Smokey can't see everything.  Jimmy notices that Lacey Grimshaw—"thirteen going on trouble," Smokey says—skips school to hang out with an adult man.  Jimmy doesn't want to tattle, but he's worried about Lacey. So he pretends he's Smokey, and follows her, learning secrets that will change him—and Lacey—forever. "Excellent…Kris Nelscott's first short case for Smokey Dalton requires him to be as sensitive and brave as her novels (do)." —Kirkus "(A) crime writer deliberately taking chances." —Chicago Tribune  "Kris Nelscott has created an intriguing character in Smokey Dalton, a tough-guy black private eye based in Chicago." —Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Smokey Dalton gets a call from an old friend to help transport a battered woman and her young daughter from Madison, Wisconsin, to a shelter in Chicago. When Smokey and Marvella Walker show up at the drop site, they learn that the woman is both white and a racist. She refuses to leave with them. And that's only the beginning of their problems. Chosen as one of the best mystery short stories of 2009, "Family Affair" shows why Booklist calls the Smokey Dalton books "a high-class crime series." "You don't need to be a fan of private-eye novels to admire Smokey: You just need a conscience." —Kirkus Reviews starred review of Smoke-Filled Rooms "Nelscott's hard-boiled style gives an added blast of energy to the captivating story, and because her characters are so nuanced and naturally complex, we don't know whom to trust." —The Boston Globe on Stone Cribs

Called “an outstanding series” by Booklist and “triumphant” by the Chicago Tribune, Kris Nelscott’s Smokey Dalton mysteries boast numerous awards, including finalists for the Edgar and Shamus awards. The Oregonian says: “The Nelscott series setting, in the turbulent late ’60s, gives her books layers of issues of racism, class, and war, all of which still seem to remain sadly timely today.” And Entertainment Weekly says of the main character: “It’s not hard to draw parallels between Nelscott’s PI Smokey Dalton and Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins, another secretive, canny black man trying to solve mysteries while circumspectly navigating the white world.  But Dalton’s no knock-off.  (Would you label the hundreds of hard-boiled detectives who’ve appeared in Raymond Chandler’s wake mere Marlow Xeroxes because they’re white?)” This boxed set includes the first three books in the series: A Dangerous Road, Smoke-Filled Rooms, and Thin Walls. A Dangerous Road (Edgar Award Finalist) Private Investigator Smokey Dalton works for Memphis, Tennessee’s black community. He has almost no interaction with the white hierarchy, even though they exist only blocks away. So he’s surprised the day a white woman walks into his Beale Street office. Laura Hathaway has sought him out because he’s a beneficiary in her mother’s will, and Laura wants to know why. So does Smokey. He’s never heard of the Hathaways, but his search will take him on a journey that will change everything he’s ever known. Set against the backdrop of the strike and protests that will end with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, A Dangerous Road combines the politics of race, betrayal, unexpected love, and the terrible cost of trust into a story so memorable the Mystery Writers of America chose it as one of the top five novels of the year and the Historical Mystery Appreciation Society honored it as the winner of the Herodotus Award for Best Historical Mystery. Smoke-Filled Rooms On the run after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Private Investigator Smokey Dalton has settled under an assumed name in Chicago. But history won’t leave him alone. His job in security at the Chicago Hilton places him in the center of the protests at the 1968 Democratic Convention. Worse, a killer works his South Side neighborhood. Smokey can’t ignore the crimes, any more than he can ignore the tension building in the city that hot August. He must take action, before he loses everything. Chosen as one of the top ten mystery novels of the year by both Deadly Pleasures and Booklist. Thin Walls Smokey Dalton and Jimmy, the young boy he protects, have settled into a new life on Chicago’s South Side. But when Smokey gets hired to investigate the death of a black man in a local park, he realizes that the murder might not be an isolated case.  The Chicago Police Department doesn’t really investigate black deaths, particularly near the South Side. Smokey thinks the case easy, until he digs deeper into the history of the area, a history that includes gangs, racism, and secrets so dark they threaten his very existence. Chosen as one of the top ten mystery novels of the year by the Chicago Tribune.

Madison, Wisconsin, 1972—When Detective Hank Kaplan calls Valentina Wilson to a crime scene, she wonders why. She soon finds more questions than answers in a secret room belonging to a wealthy female philanthropist, whose brutal murder the police hastily cover up. Val's search for the truth will take her from the rape hotline she runs to the shocking realization that the woman's murder anchors a long line of horrific events stretching back decades. Chosen as one of the best mystery short stories of 2013 by the readers of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, "Sob Sisters" continues the powerful story of Valentina Wilson, a character who first appeared in Nelscott's award-winning Smokey Dalton series. "[A] good piece of short literature." —Eerie Worlds "Nelscott recalls the era with vivid accuracy." —St. Petersburg Times