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Vixen

Page 17

by Bill Pronzini


  It takes a lot to shock men who have been in law enforcement as long as we have. Beckett’s incest revelation had rocked us some, but what we saw revealed now, the reason why Cory had always worn clothing that covered her to the neck, was like a body blow. Runyon was not given to emotional outbursts; his whispered “Christ!” was a measure of how affected he was. All I could do was stand there gaping in silence.

  Cory Beckett, femme fatale. The incestuous relationship with her brother was one of the new and terrible twists she’d brought to the role. This was the other, and in a way it was worse, much worse.

  She was tattooed.

  One single massive tattoo, the entire front of her torso used as a canvas to portray a scene out of Dante’s Inferno.

  In intricate detail the upthrust breasts had been turned into a pair of erupting volcanoes, the nipples so violently colored they resembled volcanic cores. And spilling down over both globes, down over her belly to meet at her shaved pubis and disappear into the hollow between her legs, was a trail of molten fire.

  It was the kind of voluntary sexual mutilation that could drive some men wild with lust, make them easier to manipulate and control.

  And easier to destroy.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Bill Pronzini has been nominated for, or won, every prize offered to crime-fiction writers, including the 2008 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. It is no wonder that the Detroit Free Press said of him: “It’s always nice to see masters at work. Pronzini’s clear style seamlessly weaves [story lines] together, turning them into a quick, compelling read.” He lives and writes in California with his wife, crime novelist Marcia Muller. You can sign up for email updates here.

  “NAMELESS DETECTIVE” MYSTERIES BY BILL PRONZINI

  Vixen

  Strangers

  Nemesis

  Hellbox

  Camouflage

  Betrayers

  Schemers

  Fever

  Savages

  Mourners

  Nightcrawlers

  Scenarios (collection)

  Spook

  Bleeders

  Crazybone

  Boobytrap

  Illusions

  Sentinels

  Spadework (collection)

  Hardcase

  Demons

  Epitaphs

  Quarry

  Breakdown

  Jackpot

  Shackles

  Deadfall

  Bones

  Double (with Marcia Muller)

  Nightshades

  Quicksilver

  Casefile (collection)

  Bindlestiff

  Dragonfire

  Scattershot

  Hoodwink

  Labyrinth

  Twospot (with Collin Wilcox)

  Blowback

  Undercurrent

  The Vanished

  The Snatch

  Thank you for buying this

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  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  About the Author

  “Nameless Detective” Mysteries by Bill Pronzini

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  VIXEN: A NAMELESS DETECTIVE NOVEL

  Copyright © 2015 by the Pronzini-Muller Family Trust

  A different, much shorter version of this novel appeared as a Cemetery Dance limited edition in 2012 under the title Femme.

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Drive Communications, New York

  Cover images © 2015 Shutterstock

  A Forge Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC

  175 Fifth Avenue

  New York, NY 10010

  www.tor-forge.com

  Forge® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

  eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.

  The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 978-0-7653-3568-5 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-1-4668-2523-9 (e-book)

  e-ISBN 9781466825239

  First Edition: June 2015

 

 

 


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