Robert Barash

When a ruthless crime czar hires private investigator, Sep Lemeled, to find his eighteen-year-old daughter and bring her back to New York, Lemeled finds himself involved in more than he bargained for. Deception, betrayal, perversion, and murder are just a few of the complications that entangle him. Then, there's the red-hot million in bearer bonds Lemeled agrees to baby-sit as a favor to a half-pint grifter who's nothing but trouble.

Searching for answers, Lemeled discovers the two cases are connected in unforeseen and lethal ways. Violence erupts. Corpses multiply. As he zeros in on the who and why of it all, Lemeled realizes the costs are higher than anything he could have imagined.

In the tradition of Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, and Lew Archer, Sep Lemeled is one-of-a-kind. He lives in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. His "office" is the back booth of the Waldorf Bar. He plays by the only rules he trusts, his own. Relying on intellect, intuition, and imagination rather than the "facts", Lemeled navigates a world where both light and shadow can blind you; where the forces of good and evil do battle for control of your soul; where conscience in negotiable; where free will comes with a staggering price tag.

DON'T BE A STRANGER is a novel filled with singular characters, fast-paced action, suspense, vivid imagery, wry observation, and compelling ideas.

Author Robert Barash's new novel, DON'T BE A STRANGER, is destined to become a crime classic.