This summer, Raw Dog Screaming Press is releasing my hard-to-find second novel, Play Dead, in paperback (and ebook) form for the very first time. PREORDER THE PAPERBACK and you’re entered to win this rare special sculpture-bound edition…
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“Set in a neon-lit metropolis where desperation and moral corruption are commonplace and the difference between life and death is mere luck, this viciously realistic look into the not-so-glamorous world of high-stakes gambling (and the sinister individuals who exist in its shadows) is as utterly repellent as it is addictively readable. Gambling aficionados as well as horror, mystery and crime fiction fans are sure to enjoy this action-packed 52-chapter ‘novel-of-cards’—if Play Dead were a poker hand, it would undoubtedly be a royal flush.” —Barnes & Noble’s Ransom Notes magazine
“Imagine David Mamet doing an episode of Tales from the Crypt, Scorcese in the Twilight Zone, that sort of feel. And the horror in the novel is genuine. Despite the pulpy feel, the existential questions put forth by the novel give it a real gravity.” —Jeremy Robert Johnson, Dark Discoveries magazine
Like a deck of cards, Play Dead deals out the story of a pack of pathological gamblers in 52 chapters of supernatural noir. Its main characters are players in a secret poker game that promises salvation if they play their cards right. The catch? They have to invent their own deck of cards that “capture life,” leading the players to take sinister acts of desperation.
“Like a game of high-stakes poker, the story progresses hand after hand, with increasing intensity, the characters tempting fate while they seal their own… Arnzen is a master of the concise. This book is relatively short, under 300 pages, but packs a powerful wallop.”—Flesh & Blood magazine
“If you’re a poker player and you read this book, you’ll never look at another hand without thinking about it in a macabre way.” —Doorways magazine
The 2005 hardcover release sold out swiftly and received rave reviews. Now, for the FIRST TIME IN PAPERBACK, the dealer is dishing out a second round.
Are you ready to play? Ante up at Raw Dog Screaming Press.
For more information, see my book page for Play Dead, featuring excerpts, images, and more reviews.
UPDATE: The preorder contest has ended. A winner will be announced by RDSP soon. The book is now shipping.