Author: klingler_thrillers

Categories
Novels

Mash Up

Disturbed by the death of a suspect in a recent case he feels was the result of his own failure to unravel a high-tech crime; Qigiq, Fairbanks detective, motorcyclist and knife-thrower, heads south to partner with the energetic, action-loving Kandy Dreeson of the San Francisco Police Department to be schooled on all things digital.

But when Robina, a violinist from a local college, arrives at the police station with body parts in an Amazon box screaming about her missing roommate, Kandy and Qigiq are soon drowning in a torrent of cyber-clues from YouTube videos to disappearing music files while dodging threats to their lives. With each bit they decipher they grow ever closer to the dangerous forces that would trade money for murder, and secrecy for seduction.

High-speed chase suspenseful, exploding with power-struggle intrigue, and awash in Silicon Valley “innovation,” Mash Up captures the enchantment of the Internet Age, and the deadly power of a file copy.

“Klingler is skilled at writing action scenes. He puts the reader directly in the line of fire, and he doesn’t let up…Anyone interested in thrillers or police procedurals will find much to appreciate in this newest Qigiq installment.”

—Foreword Clarion Reviews (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

“Klingler makes supreme use of his tech knowledge in a grisly mystery that strives to address the ethics of content ownership. His effortlessly clever prose makes the subject thoroughly entertaining…a thoughtful, well-constructed tale.”

—Kirkus Reviews
  • Winner Beverly Hills Book Awards—Best Thriller
  • Finalist Next Generation Indie Book Awards—Second Novel
  • Paris Book Festival—Honorable Mention General Fiction
  • Finalist Eric Hoffer Book Awards
  • Winner National Indie Excellence Awards—Best Thriller
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Categories
Novels

RATS

One man on a decades old mission. A woman who hunts him. And the bullet they share.

—RATS a Daemon Thriller

Joe Klingler’s acclaimed debut novel explodes from the remnants of a war long past to headlines of Washington secrets masquerading as corporate incompetence when two modern-day warriors face off. Both skilled at violence. And deception. Both accustomed to winning.

Summer greets the land of the midnight sun as a lone rider races across the last American wilderness, delivering on a promise he made long ago. He has many names, but the world only knows a shadow called the Daemon. Claire Ferreti, an Army sniper soon to be drawn into a black-ops mission, sips sake in Washington D.C. with her lover, a young, ambitious General whose geosecurity specialty remains classified. When a boy finds a small machine, Claire and the Daemon embark on a collision course that leads to a test of skill, a clash of ideologies, and Claire’s unconscious body lying in a typhoon-ravaged jungle. In that instant she becomes the hunted, the Daemon’s tool for survival, and an unforeseen threat. As the General pursues them into a labyrinth of cyber-secrets, political necessity and financial reality collide like a fireball piercing steel.

“Klingler’s debut offers a deep logistical jungle sure to entertain buffs and newcomers to the techno-thriller genre. Throughout, he displays fierce writing chops. Short chapters balance action and subterfuge with political thought targeted keenly at modern drone warfare.”

—Kirkus Review
  • 2015 International Rubery Awards—Fiction Short List
  • Great Midwest Book Festival—Winner
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Categories
News

Tommy Cuda Walks into a Bar…

Tommy Cuda loves the blues. He plays the blues. He’s on the road trip of his life to live the blues closer to a reality he knows is out there, but cannot find. So it’s no surprise that he took a detour to swing by Nashville to hear the music of this most impressive music city.

101 Broadway. A place called Acme Feed and Seed promised 28 beers on tap and a Nashville atmosphere. It had a menu taped in the window. The menu had an Acme burger.

Two steps inside the door the aroma of beer and seared meat met him first. Then the finger picking groove of a guitar player in a plaid shirt drew his attention. Precision. The man was all precision. The groove from the upright bass was as wide and deep as the Ohio river he had just crossed

She stepped on stage.

He dropped into a chair at the nearest table, his eyes glued to a woman who could have sat next to him in Latin class. Except for the tattoos on her forearms. And calves. And the way she moved with the music, as if they were one. A waitress took his order. The guitar glistened clean and biting, syncopating, droning.

She started to sing.

A deep, raw, passionate alto intoned ‘I smell a rat.’ Someone was surely in trouble with this woman and there were no two ways about it. Her voice rattled his insides. The guitarist soloed, clean and fast over bass and drums.

He looked around. The Hi-Jivers: Dawna Zahn. Austin John. Hank Miles. Dawna started singing, “I’m gonna miss you like the devil,” and Tommy knew he was going to miss her the moment he walked out of Acme Feed and Seed.

If you love the blues, do yourself a small favor and check them out at www.thehijivers.com. Tommy has been looping them non-stop.

Categories
Novels

Missing Mona

Tommy has boomeranged back to his parents residence and a dead-end job after too many years in college. As he looks squarely at his next decade of life his smartphone convinces him the time is ripe for a change. A gift from his grandfather provides the means, so he embarks on the path of blues artists and beatniks before him—and hits the road.

He immediately meets a damsel in hitchhiking distress who says her name is Mona. Her presence persuades him that the bright lights and dark clubs of Chicago might be his kind of town. So on a summer Saturday night they settle into a fancy hotel overlooking the beaches of Lake Michigan.

On Sunday…Mona disappears.

But she leaves behind more than a sweet memory that involves Tommy in a brand new cash flow problem he never imagined. While trying to sort out how to stay on the right side of the law and get back on the road, he meets a young criminologist who helps him, a DJ who doesn’t, and a librarian who teaches him about the city, women, and the art of the makeover. After truth and lies are stirred like a blue martini, being assaulted by a pink monkey, and witnessing a drive-by shooting that drowns a Ferrari—Tommy is desperate to help Mona.

If he can find her.

“Missing Mona has twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. What is even more appealing is Klingler’s ability to write a private investigator novel reminiscent of one from years ago and bring it into the present day… making this book unique and a must-read.”

San Francisco Book Review (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

“This engaging and romantic story is packed with action and intrigue.”

—Foreword Reviews (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

“Here’s hoping that Tommy Cuda continues with his new profession.”

—San Francisco Book Review
  • London Book Festival Winner
  • INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award—Mystery Finalist
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