The Blue Cheer

After surviving a bad experience in his hometown, P.I. Frank Johnson moves away to Scarab, West Virginia, drawn by the promise of its leisurely days and the lure of its tranquil leafy mountains. Instead, while relaxing, what he finds is a Stinger rocket exploding over his cabin. He’s back on the job. His investigation uncovers a local cult known as the Blue Cheer who is a racist group with ugly terrorist plans in mind. As the events heat up, the blood starts to spill, and for Frank it all gets real personal real quick. With the help of his fearless bounty hunter friend Gerald Peyton, he sets out to bring the Blue Cheer to justice any way he can. The bestselling The Blue Cheer, originally published by the notable crime fiction imprint Point Blank, has garnered praise from Robert Wade (Whit Masterson, Wade Miller) at the San Diego Tribune-Union (“an unpredictable story filled with complex characters”) to a starred review at Booklist (“top-of-the-line hard-boiled fare”). The Blue Cheer is part of the P.I. Frank Johnson Mystery Series.

"This gritty contemporary detective novel...will remind many of such masters of hard-boiled prose as Loren Estleman...the first-rate writing will leave readers eager to see more of Johnson." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"Lynskey has a sure hand, and he tackles the PI genre like a veteran, packing the book with great lines like 'Awaking the next morning on the cusp of the DTs, I quit drinking cold turkey, a knack the Black Irish carry in their genes.' Top-of-the-line hard-boiled fare from a novelist and a small press we hope to hear more from in the future. David Pitt, BOOKLIST [Starred Review]

“The Blue Cheer is as well-written and well-plotted an example of the new Appalachian noir as you're likely to find. Ed Lynskey's hard-boiled narrative voice of protagonist Frank Johnson is distinctive, entertaining, and authentic.Excellent debut!” New York Times-bestselling author John Lescroart

“This pure sheer first rate mystery, the reason why we read the genre, and as long as we have such stunning grab-you-by-the-collar-and-not-let-go narrative, the future of mystery is not only assured, it’s damn essential.” Ken Bruen, author of Jack Taylor series 

“Fast-paced and gripping, with well-drawn characters and a vividly described background, The Blue Cheer is a strong noir debut reminiscent of the work of Philip Atlee and others in the golden stable of Gold Medal writers. I look forward to Ed Lynskey's next.” Bill Pronzini, author of Nameless Detective mysteries