Death Comes Too Late

“Ranging from ancient China to Tijuana to L.A. and New York, these 20 stories remind readers of the gutter pleasures the classic pulps provided. Here’s to the next 20 years of Hard Case Crime.”
- TORONTO STAR


“Each of these twenty stories is different in character and situations but all have one thing in common: a dark look into the souls of men and women on the edge of a precipice, a decision that means life or death either for themselves or others.”
- DEADLY PLEASURES


“[Ardai’s] humanist attitude and understanding of storytelling craft get filtered through his hard boiled heroes.”
- THE HARD WORD


“Images of shadows and starkness of the Edward Hopper variety… Smokes, drinks, women, guns, sex, diners, cops, and violence.”
- C.J. BUNCE, BORG BLOG


“There is plenty of suspense, pathos, humor and tragedy all woven together in this cornucopia of what we call life.”
- RON FORTIER, PULP FICTION REVIEWS


“Just crack the first page and start reading, and the stories will take you in and the pages will turn briskly, and you’ll be rewarded with some lasting pleasure from the timeless, yet timely, form of the short story.”
- BRIAN GREENE, RETREATS FROM OBLIVION

“Death Comes at Christmas is a perfect break from present wrapping.” –Fangirl Nation



Praise for Charles Ardai


“Charles Ardai is a very smart and very cool fellow.”
- STEPHEN KING

“The best thing Hard Case is publishing right now? Ardai’s own books.”
- SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE


‘Ardai’s best stories walk a tightrope between noir fatalism and surprising invention. Some of them boast unsettlingly original premises [and] endings bound to startle the most hard-bitten fans…Readers who limit themselves to one story a night are in for a lot of sleepless nights.’
– KIRKUS REVIEWS


“One of the finest collections of stories I have read… intelligent and well-paced… so many great tales.”
– SFBOOK REVIEWS

CHARLES ARDAI is the founder and editor of Hard Case Crime as well as an acclaimed author. His five novels include the Shamus Award-winning SONGS OF INNOCENCE, which the Washington Post called “an instant classic.” In addition to the Shamus, Ardai has received the Edgar Allan Poe and Ellery Queen Awards. He was a writer and producer for six years on the TV series HAVEN, inspired by Stephen King’s first Hard Case Crime novel, THE COLORADO KID. King has called him “a true renaissance man” and “a master of the short story.”

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