Coleman - Graffiti Creek

Table of Contents

Dedication

Chapter

Graffiti Creek

By

Matt Coleman

2018 by Matt Coleman

This book is a work of creative fiction that uses actual publicly known events, situations, and locations as background for the storyline with fictional embellishments as creative license allows. Although the publisher has made every effort to ensure the grammatical integrity of this book was correct at press time, the publisher does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. At Pandamoon, we take great pride in producing quality works that accurately reflect the voice of the author. All the words are the authors alone.

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Pandamoon Publishing. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

www.pandamoonpublishing.com

Jacket design and illustrations Pandamoon Publishing

Art Design and Direction by Matthew Kramer: Pandamoon Publishing

Editing by Zara Kramer, Rachel Schoenbauer, Jessica Reino, and Forrest Driskel: Pandamoon Publishing

Pandamoon Publishing and the portrayal of a panda and a moon are registered trademarks of Pandamoon Publishing.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC

Edition: 1, ver. 1.00

ISBN-13: 978-1-945502-91-0

Foreward

Beyond the Bloodstains

I read a lot of crime fiction. Some of it is great, but the majority is superficial, formulaic, and trite. The book you are holding, Matt Colemans Graffiti Creek , is none of those. This is a book about people caught in situations they dont deserve. This is a book about corruption and evil agendas. This is a thriller about escape and existence on the lam. Yeah, this is all those things, but its also something much more special: a narrative in which everyone has a story, a background, a reason.

You see, the main problem with contemporary crime fiction is that the tropes that have come to characterize the genre are no longer impactful in most narratives. They have turned into flavorless ingredients thrown passionlessly into a bland broth that writers keep preparing again and again and again. Crime is a commonplace thing, but that doesnt mean a writer should treat their characters as puppets in order to tell a story about guns, violence, bad decisions, and drugs. In Graffitti Creek , the narrative revolves around people. These characters are alive. Cary is multilayered. Marlowe is nuanced. Hell, even the supporting characters act and talk like unique entities. This is what the genre should always strive for: memorable people instead of disposable cutouts. The way Coleman writes, characters feel human. Even those in the background are never simply used as props. When you read about homeless people huddled around a trashcan fire, the writing makes you see them as part of the landscape, the inevitable result of a system designed to swallow us and spit us back out as soon as we make a big mistake or a few small ones. They are not criminals. They are not insulted. Coleman is here as chronicler, not judge, and that allows his prose, and his heart, to shine.

Now, are you ready for the beautiful thing? Ready for the thing that pushes this novel into must-read territory? Well, here it is: balance. Yeah, Coleman wrote a novel that shines a light on bad people while treating homeless individuals and those from the wrong side of the track with the humanity they deserve, but he also engages fully with every element readers have come to expect from the genre. There is plenty of blood and violence here. There are twists and turns and high-speed chases and screams and curses and guns and a brilliant scene that includes two Hollywood giants about to shoot it out (Ill let you get to that on your own without more details). There are secret agendas and questions and hiding and escaping from a vehicle as the bullets fly. All of that make this a book that, besides having a ton of heart and being superbly written, entertains constantly in that deep, brain-tingling way only great fiction can.

Now that you know what makes this an outstanding read, dig in. Join Coleman and he hides Do Right and Seamus from you. Join him in looking at a dark, seedy, corrupt world from the inside and with authenticity to spare. Dig in and enjoy a novel that could be used to teach a course on the psychogeography of crime. Most importantly, come join a writer in an adventure that will undoubtedly place him on all those lists about authors to watch. Welcome to Graffiti Creek . Oh, and keep your eyes peeled because sometimes the stuff on the walls is actually blood, and Coleman is going to whisper in your ear about the stuff that lies beyond it.

Gabino Iglesias Author of ZERO SAINTS, HUNGRY DARKNESS , and GUTMOUTH

Critical Reviews

Graffiti Creek by Matt Coleman is a non-stop thrill ride that may be the best adventure/chase novel you read this year. From the opening pages, the action begins and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat all the way through to the climactic finale. However, Graffiti Creek is more than just an action adventure novel. Mr. Coleman takes particular care in bringing forth a nuanced cast of characters; each with a story to tell, each believable in their actions and motivations. Graffiti Creek is also deftly plotted with more twists and turns within the pages than one of Cary Trubodys many pulse-pounding acts of escape. Mr. Coleman has produced a first-rate thriller. And one that screams to be read in one sitting; those with heart conditions exempted, of course. Neil A White for Readers Favorite

I dare you to be able put it down with thoughts of coming back to it later. Just make sure you have a few hours free to read it in one goand not before bedor you will be running down alleyways, climbing through windows, wading through Graffiti Creek or finding yourself locked in a car trunk all night long! The tension jumps right off the page. With bodies being knifed, shot and brutalized all over the place, this is one intense read. Viga Boland for Readers Favorite

A well-written crime novel with elements of mystery, suspense, and action all equally intertwined in one plot. A lot like a puzzle in that the story could only be solved when all of the puzzle pieces were in their correct places. I truly enjoyed trying to untangle and solve the plot myself throughout the story, even though I never managed to guess correctly what was going on. Sefina Hawke for Readers Favorite

Full of tension and apprehension so much that it touches every one of your senses. A superb story from start to the climactic finish. The ending was perfect and not what I was expecting, because the plot constantly led you down one path and then took you in another direction a perfect story for anyone who likes a good thriller and whodunit. Lesley Jones for Readers Favorite

Readers will be hooked from the very start. The prose is smooth and often downright brilliant in its simplicity. 9.50 out of 10 . The BookLife Prize by Publishers Weekly

If you like books that have cops, mystery, suspense, mistaken identity, some curse words then you may want to give Graffiti Creek by Matt Coleman a try. Heidi Lynns Book Reviews

Dedication

To Sam.

Graffiti Creek

Chapter 1

On a wall of graffiti, blood splatter gets lost. One more color among the others. Dots and splashes of red across a spray of fonts with too many joints. They were all hard to read already. But with two eyes swollen shut and a fresh overlay of his own blood, Dante couldnt make out a single word on the bridge in front of him.