The Nebraska Quotient

The first book in the acclaimed Nebraska P. I. series, a Shamus Award finalist for Best Novel from the Private Eye Writers of America.

An ex-private eye, known only as Nebraska, is writing his first crime novel at 4 a.m. when his ex-partner crashes through his screen door with a gunshot wound and dies on his floor, clutching an envelope full of X-rated photos of a senator's daughter. Things only get worse for Nebraska from there. Soon he's pitted against the Chicago mob, the Omaha police, a porno ring, and a senator with presidential aspirations...and then the killings begin. The challenge for Nebraska becomes more than just solving the mysteries. It becomes survival.

"The suspenseful plot is filled with tension. The clues are subtle, and the author has created an unforgettable character in Nebraska." Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A fast-moving story with just the right blend of all the necessary tough-guy ingredients. What more can you ask for?" Len Deighton

"What's special about this novel is Reynolds' wit. He takes the hard-boiled detective and turns him into a hard-boiled punster guaranteed to elicit either a smile or a groan from even the most hard-core mystery lovers." Publishers Weekly

"Shades of Travis McGee, Lew Archer, Philip Marlowe, Quick Draw McGraw and Nick Charles pop up as Nebraska gets in deeper and deeper..." Pittsburgh Post Gazette

"William J. Reynolds dangerously but deftly skirts parody without betraying the tough-guy tradition." Washington Post