New Hard Case Crime: ZERO COOL

I don’t know how this got past me, but it did. Hard Case Crime announced the publication of another John Lange novel a few months ago. The title: Zero Cool. You may remember HCC also published Lange’s Grave Descend in November 2006. You should also know that John Lange is a pseudonym of Michael Crichton, why they don’t promote them as such I don’t know; unless Crichton is concerned his current readers won’t like them, but I really can’t imagine anyone not liking his John Lange novels.

They are all nearly perfect 1970s adventure novels. They all take place in exotic locations. They have a protagonist who never really wants to be involved, but once he is look out, and they each have enough mystery to keep them interesting. Not to mention they are written in a stark and very readable style that lends itself to brevity and action.

I found the Lange novels in the early-Nineties, and I spent years skulking through used bookstores—usually on my knees since, for some reason, the “L” section always seemed to be on the bottom shelf—looking for any John Lange title I could find. And I did find a few, but Zero Cool wasn’t one of them.

Zero Cool's release date: March 2008.
The cover art is by Greg Manchess.
The HCC description reads:

American radiologist Peter Ross just wanted a vacation. But when he meets the beautiful Angela Locke on a Spanish beach, he soon finds himself caught in a murderous crossfire between rival gangs seeking a precious artifact.

From Barcelona to the rain-swept streets of Paris, from the towers of the Alhambra to its darkest catacombs, Peter Ross is an ordinary man in desperate circumstances: racing to uncover a secret lost for centuries, before he becomes its next victim.

Too cool.

To visit the HCC promotional website for Zero Cool click Here.