Shakespeare & Co. is pleased to host a reading and reception with Missoula-based crime writer, Russell Thayer, on Tuesday, August 4th, at 7:00 pm. Thayer will read from his new book Kansas City Breakdown, which was co-authored by M.E. Proctor. Published by Cowboy Jamboree Press, this is the anticipated follow up to Bop City Swing, released last year. The lead characters are back: San Francisco Homicide Detective Tom Keegan and his unlikely ally Vivian Davis, aka Gunselle, a professional assassin. This event is free and open to the public.

About Kansas City Breakdown:
Mobsters, molls, and muscle are meeting in Kansas City to carve out territory, make deals, assert influence. They come from Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans, Detroit … By plane, by car, and, in the case of mid-level heavy Mike Abati, by train from San Francisco.

The FBI sees an opportunity. A chance to get close to the man, gather information, and have eyes and ears on the conference. A honey trap.

Tom Keegan, San Francisco PD homicide detective, knows the right woman for the job. She’s smart and cool. Seductive. Fearless. A rare and fiery combination of brass and sass. Would she agree to put her life on the line? If her cover is blown, she’s dead.

Besides, Vivian Davis, aka professional assassin Gunselle, doesn’t do favors for cops.

But Tom’s doing the asking and it makes Vivian’s heart beat a little faster.

The job isn’t all it appears to be. It comes with a side of betrayal. Because, after all, a girl has to look out for herself.

Author Biographies:
Russell Thayer’s work has appeared in magazines like Mystery Tribune, Bristol Noir, Rock and a Hard Place, and Literary Garage. He’s working on a short story collection. Russell received his BA in English from the University of Washington and currently lives in Missoula, Montana.

M.E. Proctor lives in Texas. She’s the author of the Declan Shaw detective mysteries and the author of two short story collections. She co-wrote two retro-noirs with Russell Thayer, Bop City Swing and Kansas City Breakdown. Her fiction has appeared in various magazines and anthologies. She’s a Shamus Award and Derringer Award short story nominee.

Russell Thayer

M.E. Proctor