A PSYCHOPATH'S BACK ON THE STREETS—AND HE'S OUT FOR REVENGE… Dennis Carstens serves up a graphic throwback legal thriller in his fourth Marc Kadella installment, and this one’s dripping with suspense, one part captivating courtroom drama—one part grisly serial killer murder mystery. Marc is confronted with his sordid professional past when a series of violent criminal cases are overturned—and some of the Twin Cities’ nastiest chickens come home to roost. We promise: you’ll need to read this one to the end. Thirteen years ago, Jimmy “Little” Oliver was an accomplished (although diminutive) career burglar. He was no character out of Ocean’s Eleven, but he was reliable. And he knew how to case a joint. His partner was Howie “Big” Traynor, a bit younger than his cohort, and far more ruthless. Truth be told, Howie was a sociopath—and he scared the hell out of everyone, Jimmy included. So when a home robbery-gone-wrong ended up in murder, Jimmy didn’t think twice before turning his partner in. And rising-star criminal lawyer Marc Kadella was saddled with Howie’s defense. Marc was torn about his work for Howie—his first homicide case—but even he was relieved when Howie was put away for forty years… Until, a decade later, his case is re-opened. Seems the former tech in the BCA lab was falsifying DNA evidence to collude with cops in putting away suspected violent criminals. And now not only Howie, but a handful of wrongfully-accused felons, are back out on the streets. Marc and his longtime buddy PI Tony Caravelli don’t buy Howie’s come-to-Jesus act. And when an appeals judge with ties to the overturned cases winds up crucified in his own front yard, they’re convinced a dangerous killer has been wrongfully exonerated. Carsten’s wry dialogue and gritty realism shine here as Marc and his old friends in the police force band together to solve a series of brutal murders at the hands of a psychotic vigilante who isn’t slowing down. This is a unique kind of killer: one who knows the police force and takes a terrifying amount of pleasure in keeping them on their toes. One by one, lawyers and judges connected to the exonerated criminals turn up dead. And Marc’s pretty sure he’s next. A heart-racing legal thriller reminiscent of iconic hard-boiled puzzlers by John Grisham, Richard North Patterson, and Erle Stanley Gardner. This one will keep you guessing all the way to its gripping conclusion…and shaking in your shoes. **

Anthology containing: The Key to Justice Desperate Justice Media Justice Certain Justice Personal Justice Delayed Justice

A serial killer is on the loose in Minneapolis and the head of the investigation, Minneapolis police Lt. Jake Waschke, is feeling the pressure to find him. To make matters worse, the killer strikes again, this time across the river in St. Paul, and his victim is the daughter of a prominent politician.Just when the investigation seems to be going nowhere, the police catch a break when the killer strikes yet again, except this time there is a witness who gets the police, including Jake Waschke chasing the killer through the streets of Minneapolis. During the chase Jake gets a good look at him and realizes his problems are only beginning when he recognizes the man and realizes he must do whatever is necessary to protect him.A patsy is found and an arrest is made. The patsy’s fate is placed in the hands of criminal defense lawyer, Marc Kadella, when the brother of the accused turns out to be a former client of Marc’s. The case has heat and publicity far beyond anything Marc has ever dealt with and he tries to beg off. He knows he is over his head with a case of this magnitude and also realizes it could destroy his practice and drive him into bankruptcy. The brother convinces Marc to take the case playing on their past relationship, guaranteeing payment of his fees and Marc’s own belief that the man is innocent.As the case progresses, Marc, aided in the investigation by a stunningly beautiful private investigator, becomes more and more convinced his client is being framed. But, unless he can uncover who is framing him and, more importantly, why, an innocent man is going to take a very serious fall, Marc will be helpless to prevent it.The Key to Justice is a work of fiction that the author undertook to give a more realistic view of the practice of law and what a lawyer goes through than is usually found in most legal thrillers. It is not an easy way to make a living but it can be very rewarding though not always easy on the soul and the lawyer’s private life. Whether the lawyer practices on his or her own, in a small firm or, maybe especially, a large firm to which you almost become enslaved, though well compensated, it can be a demanding, all-consuming, pressure-filled way to make a living.About the AuthorThe author is a divorced father of two and proud grandfather of five (we always seem to be more taken with grandchildren than with our own children). He lives in the Twin Cities as he has for his entire life except for a tour with the U.S. Air Force. He has a BA from the University of Minnesota and a JD from William Mitchell College of Law in St Paul. He practiced law for almost twenty years as a general practitioner so he has a lot of experience at what the reality of trying to make a living as a lawyer is really like.

Marc Kadella is back and he has a new client. His antagonist on the Hennepin County bench, Judge Gordon Prentiss has been accused of a murder. Despite his lack of respect for Marc, Prentiss wants him to represent him because he is innocent and knows Marc will fight hard for him. Marc's initial reaction is to let Prentiss have whatever he gets but, he becomes convinced that the judge is in fact innocent so he agrees to take the case. A criminal defense lawyer does not have to like his client. In fact, they rarely do. Fighting for the judge's life, Marc and his investigators, the beautiful and deadly Maddy Rivers and the street wise ex-cop, Tony Carvelli, uncover a criminal organization that is corrupting the entire community, including Gordon Prentiss. When it looks like Prentiss will get out from under it, he is framed for the murder. Except the gangster that Marc believes is responsible is an asset of the federal government and is totally protected no matter what he does including drug dealing, gambling, prostitution and even murder. The gangster makes a huge mistake when he crosses paths with the matriarch of a very wealthy and connected family. A mistake he will come to regret because even the feds cannot protect him from her.

A PSYCHOPATH'S BACK ON THE STREETS—AND HE'S OUT FOR REVENGE… Dennis Carstens serves up a graphic throwback legal thriller in his fourth Marc Kadella installment, and this one’s dripping with suspense, one part captivating courtroom drama—one part grisly serial killer murder mystery. Marc is confronted with his sordid professional past when a series of violent criminal cases are overturned—and some of the Twin Cities’ nastiest chickens come home to roost. We promise: you’ll need to read this one to the end. Thirteen years ago, Jimmy “Little” Oliver was an accomplished (although diminutive) career burglar. He was no character out of Ocean’s Eleven, but he was reliable. And he knew how to case a joint. His partner was Howie “Big” Traynor, a bit younger than his cohort, and far more ruthless. Truth be told, Howie was a sociopath—and he scared the hell out of everyone, Jimmy included. So when a home robbery-gone-wrong ended up in murder, Jimmy didn’t think twice before turning his partner in. And rising-star criminal lawyer Marc Kadella was saddled with Howie’s defense. Marc was torn about his work for Howie—his first homicide case—but even he was relieved when Howie was put away for forty years… Until, a decade later, his case is re-opened. Seems the former tech in the BCA lab was falsifying DNA evidence to collude with cops in putting away suspected violent criminals. And now not only Howie, but a handful of wrongfully-accused felons, are back out on the streets. Marc and his longtime buddy PI Tony Caravelli don’t buy Howie’s come-to-Jesus act. And when an appeals judge with ties to the overturned cases winds up crucified in his own front yard, they’re convinced a dangerous killer has been wrongfully exonerated. Carsten’s wry dialogue and gritty realism shine here as Marc and his old friends in the police force band together to solve a series of brutal murders at the hands of a psychotic vigilante who isn’t slowing down. This is a unique kind of killer: one who knows the police force and takes a terrifying amount of pleasure in keeping them on their toes. One by one, lawyers and judges connected to the exonerated criminals turn up dead. And Marc’s pretty sure he’s next. A heart-racing legal thriller reminiscent of iconic hard-boiled puzzlers by John Grisham, Richard North Patterson, and Erle Stanley Gardner. This one will keep you guessing all the way to its gripping conclusion…and shaking in your shoes. **

Marc Kadella is back and he has a new client. His antagonist on the Hennepin County bench, Judge Gordon Prentiss has been accused of a murder. Despite his lack of respect for Marc, Prentiss wants him to represent him because he is innocent and knows Marc will fight hard for him. Marc's initial reaction is to let Prentiss have whatever he gets but, he becomes convinced that the judge is in fact innocent so he agrees to take the case. A criminal defense lawyer does not have to like his client. In fact, they rarely do. Fighting for the judge's life, Marc and his investigators, the beautiful and deadly Maddy Rivers and the street wise ex-cop, Tony Carvelli, uncover a criminal organization that is corrupting the entire community, including Gordon Prentiss. When it looks like Prentiss will get out from under it, he is framed for the murder. Except the gangster that Marc believes is responsible is an asset of the federal government and is totally protected no matter what he does including drug dealing, gambling, prostitution and even murder. The gangster makes a huge mistake when he crosses paths with the matriarch of a very wealthy and connected family. A mistake he will come to regret because even the feds cannot protect him from her.

AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ FOR ANYONE WHO HAS EVER FOLLOWED A NOTORIOUS, HIGHLY PUBLICIZED TRIAL THROUGH THE NEWS MEDIA The third Marc Kadella legal mystery, courtroom drama A young, single mother, a widow, meets a nice young man and begins dating him. Just when she starts to believe she may have found a father for her two year old daughter, the boyfriend and her child disappear in the middle of the night. Frantically she searches for him, terrified of telling her mother the little girl is missing. The police are brought in and when it becomes obvious to them that the boyfriend, who has not been seen by any of the girl’s friends, family or coworkers, is a lie, they begin to suspect her. Eventually, the child’s remains are found in the Mississippi, all that is left is a skeleton. The investigation turns on the young mother and she is charged with murdering her own daughter. The media is electrified. Coast to coast she is vilified and convicted in the court of public opinion. She becomes one of the most hated people in America. Marc Kadella and the beautiful Madeline Rivers, convinced of her innocence, take the young woman’s case and fight for her against the heavy hand of the government. All the while, the mysterious boyfriend is lurking around the fringe of the case watching with amusement as his macabre plan unfolds. By the author of the Marc Kadella legal mysteries, The Key To Justice and Desperate Justice, Dennis Carstens   

FRAUD LEADS TO MURDER… AND THIS TIME, IT’S PERSONAL. Celebrated criminal lawyer Marc Kadella knows the importance of personal connections in his line of work. In Dennis Carstens’ sixth Marc Kadella legal thriller, his old buddy Tony Carvelli, a private investigator, asks him to take on a drug case for his well-off friend’s delinquent kid and he agrees—even though he’s had it with drug cases. Marc enlists the help of PI Maddy Rivers, his longtime best friend and confidante, to dig up dirt on two cops suspected of planting evidence on the bust. With Carvelli’s connections (the guy knows everybody), Marc is able to infiltrate the St. Paul police force and expose gross incompetence. But when it comes to prodding Maddy about her new beau, Marc’s got bupkis. Maddy has her reservations about her new relationship with Rob Judd. Sure, he’s a handsome and brilliant investment analyst in a wildly successful securities management firm. But he’s constantly distracted. It seems something about the firm’s not quite right—or so he finally lets on to Maddy. Its returns are consistently solid, maybe a little too solid—or so suspects Patrick McGarry, one of Rob’s co-workers. After voicing his suspicions to Rob, Patrick heads up north for a weekend hiking trip—and winds up dead. It’s only a matter of days before Rob is next. And Maddy’s found unconscious at the gruesome scene of the crime, clutching the murder weapon. Convinced Maddy was framed, Marc decides to take on the case in spite of his close connections to the client. He finds he must delve deep into the complex money laundering schemes of Rob Judd’s employer—and its connections to a ruthless Mexican drug cartel and an expert hitman who’s fallen off the radar—to save Maddy from false imprisonment. Or worse. WHO WILL LIKE IT: Fans of private investigator mysteries, lawyer thrillers, or, really any kind of action-packed crime novel. But who’ll especially like it: readers who enjoy the extra little legal touches you find in John Grisham and Richard North Patterson books. **About the Author The author lives in the Twin Cities as he has for his entire life except for a tour with the U.S. Air Force. He has a BA from the University of Minnesota and a JD from William Mitchell College of Law in St Paul.