What will Kentucky Book Festival visitors find on your table?

Last Train to Miami: In 1961, if you were a Mafia hitman you did what you were told to do. So, when the boss of the Philadelphia family sent Moe Horwitz to do a job for the Miami boss, he packed his bags, hustled to the station, and took the last train to Miami. Only when he arrives, Moe discovers that nothing is quite what it was supposed to be, and no one was really who they purported to be. The hit he’s supposed to make turns out to be anything but routine, and he soon begins to wonder if the actual victim isn’t going to be turn out to be one Moe Horwitz. Suddenly it’s too late to wonder anymore.

Looking at Kansas: Pratt County Sheriff Davis Wells has more trouble than any man needs. His wife is battling cancer, their only son is missing, and his growing passion for a beautiful stranger is raging out of control. In the midst of this chaos an outbreak of fentanyl overdoses suddenly sweeps across the county he has sworn to serve. Even worse—every death has a direct connection to him Then, just when he thinks things can’t get worse, he learns that Lawton Turner, the dangerous criminal he helped put in prison, has been released and has returned to Pratt County., vowing vengeance on Davis and everyone he holds dear. Davis must solve the fentanyl crisis, save his marriage, and outsmart and outgun Turner. Can he succeed?

Into the Wilderness: Dave Wertz has lost his job, is estranged from his son, and his marriage is falling apart. In an effort to find himself, and some semblance of happiness, Dave returns to his hometown and old friends. However, the town and his friends have changed and even in familiar surroundings life is full of dangerous surprises.

The White Jamaican: With a generous nod to Ross Macdonald and his unforgettable detective Lew Archer, The White Jamaican takes the reader along on private detective Frank Quick’s search for a missing man. Fast-paced and violent, the novel features a blonde who keeps changing her story, a man who has inexplicably vanished, and enough hoodlums, gunsels, and gangsters to fill a dozen movie screens.

Violets for Sergeant Schiller: Karl Schiller, a popular German poet, finds himself in Paris when Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated. Within days, Schiller is called back to Germany, then rushed in the front lines of the German army as it violently advances across Belgium and France in a frantic push to capture Paris and win the war. Violets for Sergeant Schiller details WW I as experienced by a sensitive man unwittingly drawn into the glamor, glory, and horrors of all-out war, and how those experiences change his life forever.

Dancing On The Rim: Mexico can be a dangerous country to go to for good times, as Paul Hampton finds out in a hurry. In less than 24 hours the wealthy American has barely escaped being murdered while on a drinking spree. When he starts to sober up, he finds he’s hungover, broke, and locked away in a private Mexican prison with no hope of bail, pardon, or early release. Dancing on the Rim is the story of Paul Hampton’s journey across a violent wilderness, a journey of revenge, retribution, and redemption.

Yard Man: Judas Cain, a lonely man simply trying to survive The Great Depression, suddenly stumbles into a job he doesn’t want, falls in love with a prostitute who doesn’t love him, and incurs the wrath of the most dangerous man in Mississippi. Then, World War II explodes!!

Whom do you invite to stop by? Who will benefit from reading your book?

All are welcome to stop by my table. My books are written for adults and contain adult themes and language. They tend to fall into the general/literary fiction category, often with a southern noir/grit flavor.

Could you please tell us something curious about you and/or your book?

In addition to being an author, I am also an editor and publisher (Trajectory Journal) and a writing coach.

Is this your first time participating in Kentucky Book Festival? If yes – what are you looking forward to the most? If you’ve participated before – what was your favorite experience at the Festival?

My favorite experiences at the Kentucky Book Festival are always meeting and talking with other book lovers, writers and readers alike.

A founding member of the Bluegrass Writers Coalition, Chris Helvey is also the editor-in-chief and publisher of Trajectory Journal. Last Train to Miami is a mystery thriller about Moe Horwitz, a mafia hit man in the 1960s.