A Truth Stranger Than Fiction - Paperback

by Chris Orcutt (Author)

"A Truth Stranger Than Fiction is a clean, fast-paced mystery thriller, packed with unexpected shifts.... Our hero and narrator, Dakota Stevens, is a witty and charming PI detective.... This story is highly entertaining and fun in its action and humor, but beholden to a deeper focus."*

In an adrenaline-fueled case that races to the woods of Upstate New York, to Boston and the shores of Maine, to the Badlands--by foot, train, truck, boat and private jet--a seemingly simple missing persons investigation quickly becomes the most difficult and personal case of Dakota's career.

A Missing Author, G-Men, Mobsters and More...

Manhattan PI Dakota Stevens and his associate Svetlana Krüsh have just moved into new offices on Fifth Avenue. A pink-and-blue-haired teenage girl walks in with a problem: her older brother and guardian, a famous science fiction author, has been missing for a week. Before Dakota even has a chance to take the case, he and the girl are accosted by a horde of people all searching for the brother: government agents, thugs, mobsters, and two mysterious Chinese men. What could her brother possibly be into?

A Secret that Could Change the World...

In their search for the missing author, Dakota, Svetlana, and the girl must navigate a bizarre, interconnected world of foreign spies and fangirls, mobsters and murderers, government bureaucrats and corporate profiteers. In the end, Dakota exposes a secret that literally has the power to change the world. And the truth is a truth stranger than fiction.

"A Truth Stranger Than Fiction is a clean, fast-paced mystery thriller, packed with unexpected shifts.... Our hero and narrator, Dakota Stevens, is a witty and charming PI detective hailing from Manhattan.... A Truth Stranger Than Fiction is definitely worth the read. Between the fast pace and the clean, fluid language this story is hard to pause, and it's thought-provoking in its real-world relevance. This story is highly entertaining and fun in its action and humor, but beholden to a deeper focus." - *The Portsmouth Review

Readers Say:

"Orcutt has combined a classic hard-boiled with the page-turning frenzy of a Dan Brown novel."

"PI Dakota Stevens is a cross between Philip Marlowe and Jason Bourne and his partner Svetlana Krush is a chess Grandmaster with the body of a Victoria's Secret model."

"Just when you think you've solved the mystery, Orcutt surprises you with another unexpected twist."

"As for the characters--perfection. Flawed, funny, heroic and developed fully from the first page until the final page."

"I read A Real Piece of Work in three days. Didn't get much sleep...but it was well worth it."

"Dakota Stevens and his indispensable sidekick/chess champion Svetlana Krush are a delightful modern take on the noir detective style."

"The author's ability to paint a picture or scene with words is astounding. This book is ripe for adaptation to film."

"Orcutt weaves a story that keeps you hanging on until the very end."

"People in the reviews keep mentioning Spenser/Robert B. Parker, and they're right; but add a good streak of John Le Carré, turn the roaster up a notch, and maybe you're getting in the ballpark."

"Reading Orcutt is like chasing a lit fuse into a dark tunnel."

"I am now stalking this author on Amazon, anxiously awaiting the release of his next book in the series."

Author Biography

CHRIS ORCUTT has written professionally for over 20 years as a fiction writer, journalist, scriptwriter, playwright, technical writer and speechwriter. He has also taught high school U.S. history and college writing. At Baruch College, City University of New York, Chris received the Distinguished Teaching Award, and as a newspaper reporter he received a New York Press Association award. Chris is the author of the critically acclaimed Dakota Stevens Mystery Series. The first novel in the series, A REAL PIECE OF WORK, achieved a #1 top-rated ranking in Literary Fiction for Kindle, and #4 in Mystery. IndieReader writes of the novel, "Action, lust, danger, style and witty repartee, Orcutt's A Real Piece of Work is a work of art." The novel received similarly strong critical acclaim from other reviewers, as did the sequel, THE RICH ARE DIFFERENT. The third installment in the series, A TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION, debuts on January 1, 2015. Chris's short story collection, THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND, was selected by IndieReader as one of the Best Books of 2013. And his modern pastoral novel, ONE HUNDRED MILES FROM MANHATTAN, was selected by IndieReader as a Best Book for 2014. In a review of the novel Kirkus Reviews favorably compared Chris to Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Cheever. For more about Chris, visit his website: www.orcutt.net. For more about the Dakota Stevens Mysteries Series, visit www.orcutt.net OR www.dakotapi.com.