Rafferty's Rule 26: When in doubt, raise hell and see who complains about the noise.

Rafferty's taking a vacation in a small Texas town when he gets arrested for a murder he didn't commit. But someone butchered Cynthia Lawson, and Rafferty was one of the last people to see her alive, so he's involved, whether he likes it or not.

Faster than you can say, "Five hundred on Texas A&M in the Bowl Game," Rafferty is up to his ass in shady bookies, crooked doctors, protective ex-lovers and religious fundamentalists.

And although he doesn't normally pull protection detail, when the scorned wife of the accused killer asks for his help, Rafferty decides to stay a while longer in the boondocks. He's not convinced the cops have the right guy behind bars and, if they don't, that means the real killer is still out there.

Besides, the sooner Rafferty gets this whole mess cleared up, the sooner he can get back to his vacation.

If you're a fan of Spenser, Mike Hammer or Matt Scudder, then this hardboiled pulp thriller, from Shamus Award Winner W. Glenn Duncan, will keep you reading late into the dark night.

LAST SEEN ALIVE is a hardboiled P.I. mystery in the tradition of the best pulp thrillers.

Rafferty's a Dallas P.I. and an ex-cop who spent enough time on the streets to understand how things work. And when they don't, Rafferty's the guy you'll want on your side. He may quote Latin occasionally, smoke too much and be a cynical sonofabitch, but when it all hits the fan and you need someone you can trust, you'll be glad you called Rafferty.

Originally published by Ballantine, this 30th Anniversary release of LAST SEEN ALIVE marks the first time that W. Glenn Duncan's work has been available in digital format. We doubt that Rafferty would quietly accept the ongoing march of technology that provides this opportunity, but even a grizzled P.I. has to grow up sometime.

This hardboiled PI series will continue with the first new Rafferty story in nearly three decades. FALSE GODS, written by W. Glenn Duncan Jr. (son of the original author) sees Rafferty looking for a missing girl, up to his ass in religious fundamentalists and needing all the help he can get from his old pals Cowboy and Mimi--and a few new ones--to make sure he gets out alive.

Join the Rafferty Readers' Group at RaffertyPI.com to get the latest news on the upcoming release of FALSE GODS.

Praise for W. Glenn Duncan:

"Sometimes it seemed W. Glenn Duncan's Texas P.I. Rafferty had a rule for everything, but the fact remains that most of them were a hoot. And, of course, a further irony is that "Rafferty's Rules" is, in fact, an Australian football term for "no rules at all." - Thrilling Detective Website

"I have all of the Rafferty titles in my collection. I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff over the years, but the Rafferty books are a mainstay. I think they're terrific " - Paul Bishop

"Duncan truly captured the pure essence of the definitive smart-ass private eye in his character Rafferty. Take part Sam Spade with a little Mike Hammer, mix in some Spenser and you have an awesome character." - Cliff Fausset

"At first sniff, it may smell like Spenser with a cowboy hat, but take a good whiff: W. Glenn Duncan's Dallas, Texas private eye RAFFERTY was actually a blast of fresh air in what was rapidly becoming a glut of sensitive, soul-searching, overly politically-correct cookie cutter P.I.s in the late eighties. Of course, it helps that Dallas ain't Boston." - Kevin Burton Smith