What It Was

The stunning crime thriller from one of the writers of THE WIRE. Washington, D.C., 1972. Derek Strange has left the police department and set up shop as a private investigator. His former partner, Frank 'Hound Dog' Vaughn, is still on the force. When a young woman comes to Strange asking for his help recovering a cheap ring she claims has sentimental value, the case leads him onto Vaughn's turf, where a local drug addict's been murdered, shot point-blank in his apartment. Soon both men are on the trail of a ruthless killer: Red Fury, so called for his looks and the car his girlfriend drives, but a name that fits his personality all too well. Red Fury doesn't have a retirement plan, as Vaughn points out - he doesn't care who he has to cross, or kill, to get what he wants. As the violence escalates and the stakes get higher, Strange and Vaughn know the only way to catch their man is to do it their own way. Rich with details of place and time - the cars, the music, the clothes - and fuelled by non-stop action, this is Pelecanos writing in the hard-boiled noir style that won him his earliest fans and placed him firmly in the ranks of the top crime writers in America.

The stunning crime thriller from one of the writers of THE WIRE. Washington, D.C., 1972. Derek Strange has left the police department and set up shop as a private investigator. His former partner, Frank 'Hound Dog' Vaughn, is still on the force. When a young woman comes to Strange asking for his help recovering a cheap ring she claims has sentimental value, the case leads him onto Vaughn's turf, where a local drug addict's been murdered, shot point-blank in his apartment. Soon both men are on the trail of a ruthless killer: Red Fury, so called for his looks and the car his girlfriend drives, but a name that fits his personality all too well. Red Fury doesn't have a retirement plan, as Vaughn points out - he doesn't care who he has to cross, or kill, to get what he wants. As the violence escalates and the stakes get higher, Strange and Vaughn know the only way to catch their man is to do it their own way. Rich with details of place and time - the cars, the music, the clothes - and fuelled by non-stop action, this is Pelecanos writing in the hard-boiled noir style that won him his earliest fans and placed him firmly in the ranks of the top crime writers in America.

What happens when the hot-as-sin boy next door returns home for the summer, and he finally sees me as more than just his little sister's best friend? McKenna: It was my last chance for a hot girl summer before I left to play college volleyball. But when my best friend's older brother decided to come home from college, my plans quickly shifted. Griffin Turner was a divinely sculpted hockey player who had held my heart for as long as I could remember. It only took one summer for us to fall fast and hard. When tragedy struck, Griffin shattered what was left of my already broken heart, leaving me to face a future that was far from what I had envisioned. Two years later, I've picked up the pieces and built a life I'm proud of. That is until my brother's first NHL game, where I am forced to watch as my past, present, and future collide. Griffin: It's been two years since I walked away from the love of my life, and since then, I've worked my ass off to become the best forward in the NHL. When McKenna Wilder's aquamarine eyes connect with mine once again, the overwhelming emotions hit me like a slapshot to the chest. I wasn't the man she deserved when I walked away from her-I'd become only a shell of the man she once knew. But I've poured everything I have into overcoming my demons. And now that I've discovered the truth, I'm determined to prove I'll never let them go. What It Was is a spicy romance featuring a hot-shot hockey player and a tempting volleyball player and their journey through love, loss, heartbreak, and second chances.

What happens when the hot-as-sin boy next door returns home for the summer, and he finally sees me as more than just his little sister's best friend? McKenna: It was my last chance for a hot girl summer before I left to play college volleyball. But when my best friend's older brother decided to come home from college, my plans quickly shifted. Griffin Turner was a divinely sculpted hockey player who had held my heart for as long as I could remember. It only took one summer for us to fall fast and hard. When tragedy struck, Griffin shattered what was left of my already broken heart, leaving me to face a future that was far from what I had envisioned. Two years later, I've picked up the pieces and built a life I'm proud of. That is until my brother's first NHL game, where I am forced to watch as my past, present, and future collide. Griffin: It's been two years since I walked away from the love of my life, and since then, I've worked my ass off to become the best forward in the NHL. When McKenna Wilder's aquamarine eyes connect with mine once again, the overwhelming emotions hit me like a slapshot to the chest. I wasn't the man she deserved when I walked away from her-I'd become only a shell of the man she once knew. But I've poured everything I have into overcoming my demons. And now that I've discovered the truth, I'm determined to prove I'll never let them go. What It Was is a spicy romance featuring a hot-shot hockey player and a tempting volleyball player and their journey through love, loss, heartbreak, and second chances.