By the Balls: The Complete Collection

"Classic hard-boiled detective fiction reminiscent of Mike Hammer, Sam Spade, and Philip Marlowe. Highly recommended."-- Midwest Book Review "An affectionate salute to the venerable hard-boiled genre."-- Publishers Weekly This deluxe volume assembles all the early writing of Jim Pascoe and Tom Fassbender in a redesigned fifteenth anniversary edition, including the two underground cult-classic novels By the Ballsand Five Shots and a Funeral, along with two brand-new short stories, a new introduction, and over a dozen short essays by industry luminaries. Perfect for fans of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, these tales follow the exploits of Ben Drake, a detective with a passion for small cigars and big fights, a love of Old Grand-Dad, and a weakness for women in trouble. North of Las Vegas in the fictional town of Testacy City, Drake sniffs out killers, thieves, kidnappers, cock fighters, double crossers, crooked cops, and numbers runners--all culminating in the bizarre murder of Gentleman Joe Biggs, a well-loved local bowling hero. As he continues to crack clues in the case, Drake is drawn deeper into a citywide criminal conspiracy. Jim Pascoeis a writer, designer, and an Emmy Award--winning creative director. He is responsible for the packaging design of over one hundred DVDs, such as Mad Menand the 2010 Stanley Kubrick Collection. He has written comics and books featuring Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kim Possible, and Hellboy. His graphic novel series Undertownwas serialized in over fifty newspapers worldwide, and his recent crime fiction has appeared in Los Angeles Noirand Florida Heat Wave. Tom Fassbenderis a writer, editor, and content strategist who has written, edited, and published both novels and comics. He lives in Los Angeles, California.