Breaking Even

Featuring the novella Breaking Even and six short stories. Daryl Chancellor, Chance to his friends, lives for the roll of dice and turn of card. When he finds himself down on his luck and owing money to a man who brooks no compromise, he makes one last play - smuggling drugs from the Caribbean. Jacked on his way from the airport, he is given two days to retrieve the goods; his only lead, his best friend. A femme fatale, a bagman who collects severed fingers along with his dues and a villain with serious psychological problems are set to thwart Chance. Can he recover the goods and Break Even on the deal? Breaking Even and Other Stories, features losers and misfits, killers and gamblers; desperate characters trying to keep their heads above water while double crossing pals and enemies alike in an effort to make that one big score. Praise for Breaking Even "A hard-hitting short story collection. Brit Grit at its best." Paul D Brazill, author of Guns of Brixton "David Siddall understands that sometimes terrible people are wonderful to read about. Siddall's turf is the mean streets of Liverpool, close on a literary map to George V Higgins' Boston or Ted Lewis' Scunthorpe. His subjects are bad luck and trouble. His characters are swindlers and losers who hatch schemes and stab backs. Sharp and bitter and funny, the stories in Breaking Even are like car crashes you can't look away from." Mike Miner, author of Prodigal Sons "An impressive collection of stories, by a talented and versatile author. Siddall's bread and butter is pure Liverpool noir, gritty and atmospheric, breathlessly paced and wickedly funny, but a couple of standout stories set afield prove he's just as good when he broadens his horizons geographically and stylistically both. This guy's a writer to watch." Owen Laukkenan, author of The Professionals "A full-house of hardboiled crime, followed with six shots, straight into a vein, of pure noir." Benedict J Jones, author of Pennies For Charon