Crown Vic is a slim new volume from Cutting Edge Books containing two previously unpublished stories about Ray Boyd, an ex-con traveling the open road in an old cop car. Ray is the anti-Reacher. He doesn’t help people in trouble. He helps himself.
Fair warning, these two violent, sexually explicit stories — “Ray Boyd isn’t Stupid” and “Occasional Risk” — are very different from anything I’ve written before (with the possible exception of “Lost Shows,” a short story I wrote for Lawrence Block‘s Collectibles anthology). I shared the stories with Larry, my agent, my brother Tod & a few friends, who all really liked them. But I didn’t know what to do with the stories after that (who publishes short stories like these anymore?) and I had two books to write, so I set Ray aside. That was a few years ago.
Recently, my brother asked me to write a new Ray Boyd story for an anthology he’s editing…and once I got into it, I realized how much I missed the character.
But should I write more about Ray Boyd?
That will depend on you and the response I get to these two stories, which Cutting Edge Books is publishing as a test run. If you like them, let me know by posting a comment here or leaving a positive review on Amazon.
Lee, did you ever watch the series Warehouse 13 from 2009? (SYFY CHANNEL)
I imagine your creative brain looking like that warehouse as the 2 agents step inside for the first time. A vast expanse of endless story ideas.
Thank you for writing for me.
lynnann
No, I’ve never seen it.
You should check it out! Warehouse 13 is fantastic fun.
Man, can’t keep up with the two of you. I am finishing Malibu Burning and just received Tod’s Gangster Don’t Die.
Loved it! Unique character for sure. I want more. I’d be stupid not too.
Hi Lee,
Loved ‘Crown Vic’ and Ray Boyd’s character … and the way you weaved Jack Reacher into the stories. Another fave of mine! Keen to see more – in the form of a full-blown book (on Ray not Reacher. He’s gone off with Lee Child’s brother writing stories now)! So enamoured with these two short stories that I joined up to your newsletter and am starting to work my way through some of your other books. Read ‘Malibu Burning’ and a lot of your stories of you collaboarting with Janet Evanovich.
Just one bitch though, signed up for your newsletter but didn’t receive the link to the free digital copy of ‘McGrave’ (might be something to do with the email having to travel ‘all the way’ from the USA to my little old town of Maddington in downtown Perth, Western Australia) It is a long way, I know, but is there any way you can put Ray to work to track down where my free download went?
Ross,
Thank you so much for the kind words about CROWN VIC. I’ve asked my webmaster to look into the problem with the free book. You should have been given a download link once you signed up for the newsletter. I’ll make sure you get it!
Lee
RIP Darlene from “Occasional Risk!” Looking forward to more Crown Vic Neo Noir.
Is there another Eve Ronin in the works? My favorite character is Duncan. How about a stand alone story or novel of Duncan before he became known as “Duncan Donuts?”
……. Mike
The new Eve Ronin is out *now*. It’s called DREAM TOWN. And she will be returning in September in ASHES NEVER LIE, a cross-over with the “Sharpe & Walker” series that launched a few months back with MALIBU BURNING.