The Whole Lie (A Conway Sax Mystery Book 2)

Praise for *The Whole Lie * “The Massachusetts gubernatorial race forms the backdrop for Ulfelder’s excellent sequel to his Edgar-finalist debut, Purgatory Chasm... Readers will want to see more of Ulfelder’s tough but vulnerable lead, whose narration offers a warts-and-all view of his multifaceted character.” – Publishers Weekly , starred review Savvy hadn’t changed. She was smarter than you and didn’t mind letting you know it. She’d whip you up and down trying to get her way. But we weren’t lovers any more—and she’d stopped being a Barnburner long ago. Still... Conway Sax, the no-nonsense auto mechanic with a knack for solving difficult problems for the Barnburners, the renegade AA group who saved his life, is back in The Whole Lie . And for once, he thinks normalcy is within reach. He’s opening a new garage, and he’s finally moved in with longtime girlfriend Charlene. The end of his parole is finally in sight. Then along comes Savannah Kane: smart, smoky, and a pusher of men’s buttons. Seven years ago, Conway helped her disappear—but not before they had a sizzling, knock-down-drag-out affair. Now she’s back with a shocking revelation: she’s the mother of a six-year-old boy. Savvy claims her son’s father is billionaire Bert Saginaw, but Conway (not to mention Charlene) knows she’s back for more than just a family reunion. Saginaw wants to be Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. Savvy wants to get paid. Conway wants nothing to do with either of them. But when Savvy turns up brutally murdered, he’s got no choice but to sort lies from truth – even though doing so may cost him his freedom, his lover, and his life in this thrilling and heart-wrenching follow-up to critically acclaimed novel Purgatory Chasm , in the tradition of Robert B. Parker and Dennis Lehane. Praise for Steve Ulfelder and Purgatory Chasm “Ulfelder smoothly steers his plot from one hairpin twist to the next... Conway [is] both tough and vulnerable, a man who has made too many mistakes in his life and, unfortunately, will make even more. Purgatory Chasm is a superb beginning for an author who shows much promise.” – South Florida Sun-Sentinel “A refreshing new character solving hardcore crimes.... crisp plotting, hard-boiled style and realistic dialogue.” —Associated Press “Combines elements of the thriller with tales of tangled families. Violence runs through the novel, but Ulfelder tempers it with compassion — and evocative prose. Purgatory Chasm may be hardboiled, but it's heart-wrenching, too.” – Richmond Times-Dispatch “Working throughout is the edgy, self-effacing voice of a flawed main character, a good guy with plenty of baggage who’s just trying stay alive and to get it right this time.” – The Boston Globe “Ulfelder couples precise, evocative prose with an original private investigator in his compelling hard-boiled debut.... Ulfelder smoothly navigates the many plot twists, and effortlessly introduces wrinkles in his protagonist's backstory that enhance the character.” – Publishers Weekly , starred review Review Praise for *The Whole Lie * “Ulfelder, a former business and technology journalist turned novelist and race-team owner, infuses his work with grit leavened by grace, and The Whole Lie not only fulfills the promise of its predecessor, Purgatory Chasm , but also surpasses it. Not for the faint of heart, but a novel that should appeal to political junkies and motorheads alike, The Whole Lie is, in all its disturbing beauty, a work of hardcore crime-fiction art.” – Richmond Times-Dispatch “The Massachusetts gubernatorial race forms the backdrop for Ulfelder’s excellent sequel to his Edgar-finalist debut, Purgatory Chasm... Readers will want to see more of Ulfelder’s tough but vulnerable lead, whose narration offers a warts-and-all view of his multifaceted character.” – Publishers Weekly , starred review “Mechanic, occasional vigilante and recovering alcoholic Conway Sax is one of the more compelling characters in recent American crime fiction, which is entirely due to Steve Ulfelder's exceptional talent for plotting, characterization and dialogue. The Whole Lie digs deeper into Conway's past and present relationships, as well as providing a twisty mystery with a believable resolution. Corruption, blackmail, past lovers and more collide in this series second from the talented new author.” – RT BOOK Reviews “The strength of The Whole Lie is in the larger than life characters of Conway Sax, Savvy Kane, and baby-daddy Bert Saginaw. In signature Ulfelder style, everyone is a suspect, everyone has an angle, and everyone is lying. Throw in some campaign secrets, blackmail photos, and the fact that every time Sax thinks he has the killer, that person ends up dead, and you have a thrilling tale that moves at NASCAR speed.” – The Bourbon County Review (Kansas) “Steve Ulfelder has the ability to suggest lots of information in short dialogue and description, creating a rich field of other interesting characters.... The plot is driven by murder, blackmail, loyalty and betrayal, along with many people with many reasons who could be villains. The book is fast-paced, and the reader is happily pulled along.” – San Diego Union-Tribune “Ulfelder has created a fresh, compelling lead in Conway Sax, a character precariously straddling the line between invincible tough guy and vulnerable emotional wreck. The conflicts Conway struggles with, both internally and externally, are as real and raw as it gets, and Ulfelder’s portrayal of a man torn between his loyalty to the past and hope for the future is nothing short of masterful. It’s the guaranteed truth that you will be taken in by The Whole Lie .” – St. Augustine Record “What sets [Ulfelder’s] books apart is the fantastic and fascinating cast of characters he weaves in his stories. The most compelling character in both books is Ulfelder's protagonist, Conway Sax, who has a tough exterior but also is so mulit-sided in his personality that one never knows what to expect.... [ The Whole Lie ] is a fantastic read where there are plenty of plot twists, political corruption, blackmail, lying at every turn that Beacon Hill followers will eat up.” – Leicester Daily Voice “I thought crime fiction couldn't get much better than Purgatory Chasm by Steve Ulfelder. Steve proves me wrong with his follow up The Whole Lie ... The writing is exceptionally hardboiled, the characters vivid and interesting, the plot dark and exciting. One of the best PI novels of the year so far.” –SonsofSpade.blogspot.com “Fast-paced and hard-hitting, Ulfelder knows this territory well, pushing the limits and pulling back just in time.” –Curledup.com "Full of fascinating characters... If you have to read The Whole Lie in multiple sittings, you'll likely struggle to put it down and rush to get back to it as quickly as you can. Add Ulfelder to my must-read list. I'm looking forward to hanging out with Conway Sax and friends again." --JensBookThoughts.com “Ulfelder has created a fresh, compelling lead in Conway Sax, a character precariously straddling the line between invincible tough guy and vulnerable emotional wreck. The conflicts Conway struggles with, both internally and externally, are as real and raw as it gets, and Ulfelder’s portrayal of a man torn between his loyalty to the past and hope for the future is nothing short of masterful. It’s the guaranteed truth that you will be taken in by The Whole Lie .” –elizabethawhite.com Praise for *Purgatory Chasm Nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery 2012 Winner of the Reviewer’s Choice Award from RT BookReviews for Best First Mystery of 2011 “Conway Sax is a has-been racing driver, an ace auto mechanic, a recovering alcoholic and a refreshing new character solving hardcore crimes....Non-racing and non-car fans will appreciate his hero as well as his crisp plotting, hard-boiled style and realistic dialogue. In his debut novel, Ulfelder deftly solves a mystery, and explores how family ties are established and what they mean.” – Associated Press “The redemption that every flawed person tries to find in life enhances the complex plot that percolates in former journalist Steve Ulfelder's exciting mystery fiction debut. And Purgatory Chasm is certainly loaded with myriad flawed characters and their avenues to redemption, starting with Conway Sax... Purgatory Chasm moves at a brisk clip as Ulfelder smoothly steers his plot from one hairpin twist to the next. Ulfelder... adds just enough automobiles lore to spice Purgatory Chasm , but not overwhelm it. Ulfelder brings a gritty, uncompromising view to his hard-boiled debut. At the same time, the author makes Conway both tough and vulnerable, a man who has made too many mistakes in his life and, unfortunately, will make even more. Purgatory Chasm is a superb beginning for an author who shows much promise.” – South Florida Sun-Sentinel “Ulfelder's debut combines elements of the thriller with tales of tangled families. Violence runs through the novel, but Ulfelder tempers it with compassion — and evocative prose. Purgatory Chasm may be hardboiled, but it's heart-wrenching, too.” – Richmond Times-Dispatch “Working throughout is the edgy, self-effacing voice of a flawed main character, a good guy with plenty of baggage who’s just trying stay alive and to get it right this time.” – The Boston Globe “A surprising and satifying hard-boiled crime novel, the author’s first, and both grimly realistic and exciting... If the author can sustain this level of invention and vivid writing, this is a great career a-borning.” – The Sullivan County Democrat “A gritty razor sharp new voice in crime fiction.” – The Keene Sentinel “Ulfelder couples precise, evocative prose with an original private investigator in his compelling hard-boiled debut.... Ulfelder smoothly navigates the many plot twists, and effortlessly introduces wrinkles in his protagonist's backstory that enhance the character. Fans of Michael Koryta's PI crime novels will find a lot to like.” – Publishers Weekly , starred review "Conway is one of those tough but tender, emotionally damaged protagonists that calls out to certain mystery readers.... Ulfelder’s first novel gets a thumbs up." -- Booklist “ Purgatory Chasm is Ulfelder’s first novel, but he clearly has the ability to get inside the minds of his multi-faceted characters and bring out their best and worst. His casual style moves the reader along at a rapid pace that fits perfectly with the theme of automobiles and racing. Even though I am not an auto racing enthusiast and can’t even change a tire, I found myself caught up in the story. Ulfelder has created Sax as a flawed human being with a sense of integrity and honor. I look forward to more of his novels.” -- Suspense Magazine “A promising debut... with one of the funniest, punchiest, most memorable -- and for this paper unprintable -- first sentences in recent murder mysteries.” – MetroWest Daily News “Steve Ulfelder's debut novel weaves a gritty tale of justice and redemption.” – Fall River Herald News “Ulfelder’s debut grabs you from its wryly hilarious opening line and keeps going full throttle till the finale. His characters are deep and realistically rendered – sometimes painfully so – and the broken family dynamics are right on the money. Ulfelder writes so well that even non-NASCAR fanatics will get something out of the car talk and racing scenes. Can’t wait for book two!” – RT Book Reviews , Top pick, 4 1⁄2 stars “This outstanding debut by a former journalist and racing enthusiast is gritty and fast-paced, with an intriguing plot and believable characters. Ulfelder has introduced a solid new protagonist, and the many race car anecdotes add to the novel’s allure. It will appeal strongly to readers of Loren D. Estleman and Ross MacDonald and those who enjoy hard-boiled detective mysteries.” – Library Journal , starred review “Fathers and sons, American style.... The protagonist is... strong, engaging and fully realized... A promising debut.” -- Kirkus R... About the Author Steve Ulfelder is an amateur race driver and co-owner of Flatout Motorsports, a company that builds race cars in Bellingham, MA. He was a business and technology journalist for 20 years. In addition to trade and automotive magazines, he wrote for the Boston Globe , Boston magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle , and many others. His first novel, Purgatory Chasm , was an Edgar Award Finalist. gt;gt;gt;CHAPTER ONEgt;gt; gt; gt;When Savvy Kane walked into my shop, I was wrestling the rotted muffler from a Maxima.gt;It’s not a pretty job. Rust flakes, road crud, frozen bolts. Cursing is involved.gt;As I gave a final twist, the customer door swung open.gt;I looked.gt;I looked again.gt;My jaw dropped.gt;The muffler dropped.gt;It weighed thirty pounds, and every one of them landed on my right boot.gt;Her name was Savannah, but when I’d met her in a biker bar on the south side of Owensboro, Kentucky, all the Harley boys had called her Savvy.gt;It wasn’t hard to see why. She didn’t pay for a drink all night. And she drank a lot.gt;Me too. Back then.gt;“What the hell,” I said, stepping into the customer area.gt;“Some greeting,” she said.gt;“Close the door,” I said.gt;She stepped close, planning a hug until she saw the grime on my coveralls. I could smell her hair. No change: almost like apples, but not quite.gt;“You look the same,” I said.gt;“You don’t.” She took my face in both hands, brushing a fleck of something from my forehead. As she studied me I remembered her eyes: They were a gray that could look blue, green, brown, or nearly black, depending on the light. Depending on her mood.gt;Savvy thumbed my right cheek. “What happened?”gt;“Life. And lots of it.”gt;She shook her head. “Death.”gt;“Some of that, too.”gt;Her thumb was still on my cheek when the door whooshed and Charlene walked in.gt;I froze.gt;Charlene froze.gt;Savvy did not freeze. She stroked my cheek again, dropped her hand, turned, squinted, paused a long beat. “Darlene?” she finally said.gt;“gt;Chargt;lene,” I said. Quickly.gt;“Well knock me over,” Savvy said.gt;“Savannah Kane,” Charlene said, then curled her lip. “Savvy.”gt;“Are you two...” Savvy said.gt;“Hell yes,” I said. Quickly.gt;“How sweet,” Savvy said, then faced Charlene. “Come to keep an eye on your man?”gt;“On my business,” Charlene said. “I own the place.”gt;“Well,” I said.gt;“Or may as well,” Charlene said. “I hold the note.”gt;“True enough,” I said.gt;“My my,” Savvy said. “Business and pleasure.”gt;We stood there. From the work area, where I ought to be, came an Eagles song on the classic rock station. Then the whir of an air wrench as Floriano Mendes, my friend and only employee, took something off a Honda Pilot.gt;Savvy said, “Can you spare Mister Goodwrench here for a cup of coffee?”gt;“Ask him.”gt;“Pretty busy,” I said.gt;“Too busy to chat with an old Barnburner who’s got a problem?”gt;gt;Barnburner.gt; Savvy’d said the magic word, and Charlene knew it as well as I did. Charlene hit me with the ice-blue eyes, a stare that cut deeper than words could. Then she turned and walked to her desk. Didn’t say a goddamn thing.gt;Didn’t have to.gt;* * *gt;A long time ago, in a nineteen-dollar-a-night hotel room outside Paducah, Kentucky, Savannah Kane and I had swapped life stories.gt;She was born and raised in Virginia’s Roanoke Valley. Her father made nozzles for high-quality pressure washers and did well enough so the toughest choice his daughter ever faced was jumping or dressage. She majored in drunk at the University of Virginia, put together a rich girl’s cocaine-and-vodka habit. She never sniffed or drank any more than her friends did—but after college, when the friends dumped the cocaine and got jobs, Savvy didn’t. Couldn’t. That’s when her story turned ugly, the way they do.gt;“Nice little place,” she said now, looking around the coffee shop. A girl on hidden speakers sang a slow song. Customers diddled with laptops.gt;“I like Dunkin’ Donuts better,” I said, “but this is closer. Where have you been? Why are you back?”gt;She laughed some. “You still don’t beat around the bush. I remember how much I liked that.”gt;I said nothing.gt;“I stayed put for seven years,” she said, “right where you and that weird little guy put me.”gt;“Moe Coover.”gt;“Yes! Such a great name, how’d I forget it?”gt;“So you’ve been in Greensboro this whole time?”gt;“North Carolina.” She said it gt;Noff Caro-LYNE,gt; exaggerating the accent. “And don’t sound so skeptical. I grew fond of the place, believe it or not. You were right about its being the perfect city to get lost in.”gt;“gt;Moegt; was right,” I said. “Greensboro was his call. What did you do there?”gt;“I did just as you recommended. As gt;Moegt; recommended, sorry. Some of this, some of that. McJobs. I waited tables in chain restaurants, stocked shelves at Staples, sold sofas in big furniture stores. Never hung around long enough to get funneled into management.” She sipped her coffee, a fancy thing with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick. “Not long enough to get close to anyone.”gt;I sipped too, looked her in the eye. “I don’t believe you.”gt;“gt;Assgt;hole!” She hissed it, slapping her coffee to the table.gt;“It’s not in you to work a square job,” I said. “Maybe for a month, for giggles. No longer than that. You need action. When you can’t find it, you make it.”gt;“If you’re so sure about that, why’d you help me run in the first place?”gt;“You were a Barnburner.” My AA group, the ones who saved my life. Savvy’d been a member of the group for a while. It’s where she met Charlene. “I help Barnburners. No questions asked.”gt;“You’re still running around with that crowd? They must all be a hundred and ten. What kind of super-sexy problems do you solve? Canasta cheating scandals? Misplaced hearing aids?”gt;I took it, both hands flat on the table. On the hidden speakers, a boy now sang a slow, sad song just like the one before it. Only with a higher voice.gt;Savvy hadn’t changed. She was smarter than you and didn’t mind letting you know it. She’d whip you up and down trying to get her way. But if you gave in, she lost respect and dropped you as whatever you were to her: friend, co-conspirator, lover.gt;Lover.gt;In her bedroom, I remembered, I’d wanted to do everything, tell everything, gt;feelgt; everything in a way I hadn’t known before or since.gt;I felt her hand on mine and snapped to, pissed that she could still read my mind. I was a simpleton to her, always had been.gt;“Why are you back?” I said. “And since it’s been seven years, maybe you can tell me why you needed to disappear.”gt;“Why’s your face red? What were you thinking about just now, Conway?”gt;“Why’d you need to leave all of a sudden? You wouldn’t tell me then. I didn’t force it. You seemed scared. But it’s seven years on.”gt;Savvy cut her eyes left and right, then put both hands in her lap so she could lean way in. With her chin nearly touching the table she said, “I don’t remember you being much of a political creature, but you gt;dogt; know y’all have a gubernatorial election a week from today. Right?”gt;“Okay.”gt;“And you know Betsy Tinker has been a lead-pipe cinch from the get-go?”gt;I said nothing.gt;“Name ring a bell?” she said. “The sweetheart of Massachusetts? The money, the senator hubby?”gt;“He died. She took his seat. More money than God.”gt;“Right. The whole world loves Betsy Tinker. Doesn’t matter what she says, doesn’t matter what her plans are. After this clown of a governor, the one who’s on his way out, voters want somebody uncontroversial, somebody gt;nice.gt; Three weeks ago, the polls had Tinker up twenty-six among likely voters. Do you pay attention gt;at all,gt; Conway?”gt;“Not to politicians. I keep hoping they’ll go away if I ignore them.”gt;“Betsy Tinker’s not going anywhere except the corner office. Thomas Wilton, her opponent, is a nothingburger, the Washington Generals.”gt;I smiled. Leave it to Savvy to throw in a Harlem Globetrotters reference. “For a North Carolina gal, you know plenty about Massachusetts politics.”gt;“Tinker’s lead has been shrinking,” Savvy said. “That’s natural. Nobody wins by twenty-six, not even in Massachusetts. However...” she leaned forward even more “... there’s a problem.”gt;I waited.gt;“Blackmail threats.”gt;I waited.gt;“There are, I’m given to understand, issues that could put a very big dent in Tinker’s lead.”gt;“Such as.”gt;“Such as me.” Her eyes danced as she said it.gt;“Tell me.”gt;“I have a history with Tinker’s running mate, the next gt;lieutenantgt; governor,” she said. “He’s a business guy, a charger. He was supposed to grab the blue-collar votes while Tinker focused on Morrissey Boulevard and Newton and the Berkshires. Any idea who he is, my strapping, not-as-dumb-as-he-wants-you-to-think friend?”gt;I said nothing.gt;“Thought not. Nobody gives a rat’s ass about the second name on the ticket. Ever heard of Bert Saginaw?”gt;“Made a mint in fences,” I said. “Built himself a palace right here in Framingham.”gt;She mock-applauded me for finally knowing something. Like I said, she’s smarter than you and doesn’t mind if you know it.gt;I sipped. “What about him?”gt;Half a smile played across Savvy’s lips. “Bert Saginaw has a little John Edwards problem. And I’m Rielle Hunter.” She read my eyes, sighed, put both hands on mine. “I asked you and Moe to disappear me seven years ago because I was pregnant with what the tabloids call a love child.”gt;gt;gt; gt;Copyright © 2012 by Steve Ulfeldergt;gt;gt; gt;gt;gt;Continues...gt; gt; gt;gt; gt;gt;gt; Excerpted from gt;The Whole Liegt; by gt;Steve Ulfeldergt; Copyright © 2012 by Steve Ulfelder. Excerpted by permission.gt; All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.gt;Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Praise for The Whole Lie

"The Massachusetts gubernatorial race forms the backdrop for Ulfelder's excellent sequel to his Edgar-finalist debut, Purgatory Chasm... Readers will want to see more of Ulfelder's tough but vulnerable lead, whose narration offers a warts-and-all view of his multifaceted character." – Publishers Weekly, starred review

Savvy hadn't changed. She was smarter than you and didn't mind letting you know it. She'd whip you up and down trying to get her way. But we weren't lovers any more—and she'd stopped being a Barnburner long ago. Still...

Conway Sax, the no-nonsense auto mechanic with a knack for solving difficult problems for the Barnburners, the renegade AA group who saved his life, is back in The Whole Lie. And for once, he thinks normalcy is within reach. He's opening a new garage, and he's finally moved in with longtime girlfriend Charlene. The end of his parole is finally in sight. Then along comes Savannah Kane: smart, smoky, and a pusher of men's buttons. Seven years ago, Conway helped her disappear—but not before they had a sizzling, knock-down-drag-out affair. Now she's back with a shocking revelation: she's the mother of a six-year-old boy. Savvy claims her son's father is billionaire Bert Saginaw, but Conway (not to mention Charlene) knows she's back for more than just a family reunion.

Saginaw wants to be Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. Savvy wants to get paid. Conway wants nothing to do with either of them. But when Savvy turns up brutally murdered, he's got no choice but to sort lies from truth – even though doing so may cost him his freedom, his lover, and his life in this thrilling and heart-wrenching follow-up to critically acclaimed novel Purgatory Chasm, in the tradition of Robert B. Parker and Dennis Lehane.

Praise for Steve Ulfelder and Purgatory Chasm

"Ulfelder smoothly steers his plot from one hairpin twist to the next... Conway [is] both tough and vulnerable, a man who has made too many mistakes in his life and, unfortunately, will make even more. Purgatory Chasm is a superb beginning for an author who shows much promise." –South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"A refreshing new character solving hardcore crimes.... crisp plotting, hard-boiled style and realistic dialogue." —Associated Press

"Combines elements of the thriller with tales of tangled families. Violence runs through the novel, but Ulfelder tempers it with compassion — and evocative prose. Purgatory Chasm may be hardboiled, but it's heart-wrenching, too." –Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Working throughout is the edgy, self-effacing voice of a flawed main character, a good guy with plenty of baggage who's just trying stay alive and to get it right this time." –The Boston Globe

"Ulfelder couples precise, evocative prose with an original private investigator in his compelling hard-boiled debut.... Ulfelder smoothly navigates the many plot twists, and effortlessly introduces wrinkles in his protagonist's backstory that enhance the character." –Publishers Weekly, starred review