Steve C. Gingolaski

Living in near-future Philadelphia, Blue Cab Company mercenary Richard Vandercar's religious beliefs begin and end with "In God We Trust," and then only when the words are printed on cold hard cash. So when he learns Jeannie Aiken has a price on her head, his course of action should be clear: hand her over, collect the bounty, and move on.

If only it were so simple. Ripped lifeless from his mother's womb and revived, Vandercar developed an unusual talent. He can see an individual's lifeline and judge the time of their death. He's never been wrong, which makes Jeannie an enigma. Her lifeline terminated three months ago.

Motivated partially by curiosity and partly by guilt for the sister he couldn't save, Vandercar decides to help Jeannie, at least until he can figure out why she's still breathing. With her image plastered across the media and not one, but two bounties on her head, Jeannie's going to need protecting from most of Philadelphia, and especially from Vandercar's colleagues in Blue Cab Company.

Author Steve C. Gingolaski tells a gritty, noir tale combining elements of Raymond Chandler with the dystopia of Blade Runner, suffused with his own dark, cynical sense of humor.