Treacherous Hack
A Mike Stoneman Mystery #7
by Kevin G. Chapman
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Police Procedural
From the
award-winning Mike Stoneman Thriller series comes Book #7 — a
gripping crime thriller set in the heart of a frozen New York City.
When electronics store owner Lou Palazzo is gunned down at a snowy Manhattan
intersection, NYPD homicide detectives Mike Stoneman and Jason Dickson catch a
case that’s anything but ordinary. Back at Lou’s shop, two Chinese nationals
linked to a powerful Shanghai cybercrime ring are dead. The only clue? A
missing laptop computer, possibly containing something Lou was willing to die
to protect.
Meanwhile, NYU student Ryan Gelb is panicking. His hacked laptop held the
stolen university data — data he quietly gave to his Uncle Lou. Now Lou is
dead, and whoever killed him is coming for the file. . . and for Ryan.
Caught between international cybercriminals, New York mobsters, and the police,
Ryan is desperate to recover the file and avoid being expelled — or worse,
executed.
As Mike and Jason untangle a web of secrets, lies, and digital deception,
they're met with stonewalling from all sides: NYU won’t talk, witnesses are
hiding the truth, and even their closest allies are keeping dangerous secrets.
With the body count rising and a deadly showdown looming, the race is on to
solve the mystery, recover the missing file, and avoid turning Lower Manhattan
into a bloodbath.
Perfect for fans of Michael Connelly,
John Sandford, and David Baldacci, this high-stakes police procedural mixes
hard-boiled action, cybercrime intrigue, and unforgettable characters in a
page-turning thriller you won’t be able to put down.
What readers are
saying:
“A page-turner of a police
procedural, with multiple cryptological clues and misdirections. The convoluted
plot is enough to keep readers on the edge of their seats throughout. While the
action is nearly nonstop, it is inevitable that readers along the way will get
invested in relationships such as that between Ryan and Star. All the main
characters and many of the minor ones keep dangerous secrets, demonstrating
once again the fallibility of human nature.”
~ S. W. Lawrence, MD, author of climate fiction including Climate
Dragon and Cloud Dragon.
“Chapman delivers another pulse-pounding thriller that seamlessly
weaves cybercrime, organized crime, and family loyalties into one explosive
narrative of how far people will go to protect their secrets. This high-stakes
thriller has non-stop action and suspense that culminates in a riveting
page-turner until the end.”
~ LoLo Paige, award-winning author of Alaska Firestorm and Alaska
Inferno.
“Treacherous Hack grabs you
from the first chapter and doesn’t let go! An exciting police procedural that
makes you feel like you’re on a ride-a-long with the detectives, conspiring
with the bad guys, and hanging out in a dorm room with the young guys caught in
the middle of it all.”
~ Laurel Heidtman, author of The Eden Mysteries.
“A pulse-pounding thriller that seamlessly weaves cybercrime, organized
crime, and family loyalties into one explosive narrative of how far people will
go to protect their secrets.”
~ LoLo Paige, award-winning author of Alaska Firestorm and Alaska
Inferno.
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From Chapter 3 -- On the Scene
DETECTIVE MIKE STONEMAN CALLED OUT to
his partner as soon as Jason ducked under the crime scene tape stretched across
the sidewalk.
“Jason! Over here.” Mike waved his arm, beckoning Jason
toward the center of the intersection. Since Mike lived in Manhattan, he had
arrived fifteen minutes before his partner. A clot of officers and emergency
services personnel milled about without much urgency.
“Nice night,” Jason said sarcastically.
Mike, dressed in a down parka and a blue-and-orange knit hat
pulled down over his ears, grunted his agreement. Mike was a full five inches
shorter than Jason and twenty years older. Even in their winter clothes,
Jason’s style showed through, with his tailored wool overcoat, gloves, scarf,
and LL Bean duck boots. Mike had long since stopped worrying about the fact
that his partner was taller, better looking, in better shape, and a better
dresser. Mike possessed wisdom that came from experience, which was the one
thing Jason could not have. At least not until he had twenty-five years on the
force like Mike. They had been partners for five years.
A uniformed officer with a plastic cover over his hat
approached Mike as Jason arrived. “Detective Stoneman, the medical examiner is
finished. Can we remove the body now?”
“Not yet,” Mike responded. “I want Detective Dickson to get
a look at the scene first.”
The officer left to give his fellow officers the bad news –
they all had to stay outside their warm squad cars.
As they walked around the intersection, Mike gave Jason the
rundown. “The stiff’s name is Lou Palazzo. His wallet was in his pants pocket
with a driver’s license, so the ID was pretty easy. He’s got a record from
years back. Did three years in Sing Sing in the twenty-teens for conspiracy to
commit murder. He was connected to the Gallata family. Since he got out, he’s
had no arrests. He ran an electronics store and pawn shop over on the corner of
Avenue B, a block away.” Mike pointed to the far end of the block. “He had a
little cash and some credit cards in his wallet.”
Jason looked down at the remainder of the dead man’s head.
“So, not a robbery, then?”
Mike didn’t laugh. “The snow and slush on the street mangled
any physical evidence here, but there is blood in the snow outside his shop. It
looks like he was shot inside the shop in the shoulder, tried to escape in this
direction, then got caught here in the intersection and plugged once in the
head. No cell phone on him. He wasn’t wearing a coat, so he left in a hurry.
When we finish here, there are two more stiffs in the shop.”
“So, there’s more to see?” Jason asked.
“Oh, yeah. Plenty. We’ll get over there in a minute. The
officer in the first squad car saw two figures in the middle of the street from
a few blocks away and hit his lights. By the time he got here, Lou was dead on
the ground and the other person had fled the scene on foot.”
Jason squatted to get a look at the body without dipping his
knees into the slush. The kill shot entered the man’s head above his left ear
and exited through his neck – a clean kill, likely fired by a person standing
over the victim.
“Seen enough?” Mike asked.
“Sure. Thanks for doing the reconnaissance.”
“Let’s go see the shop. That’s where the action was.” Mike
turned to the west. “Oh, and by the way, was that Rachel I saw over there with
a cameraman?”
“Yeah,” Jason said without stopping. “She got a call from
her network to come work this scene. She’s been bugging them for weeks about
getting a chance to cover breaking news instead of the fluffy studio stuff. You
know, the healthcare pieces and emergency services and such. She’s been on the
on-call list every weekend since Halloween, hoping to get a call.
Unfortunately, tonight was the night.”
“You need to be careful, Jason. You can’t spill any
information to her. I know we talked about this possibly happening someday.
Well, shit just got real. Sully will have your hide if he thinks you’re feeding
her inside dirt on the investigation.”
“I know. I’m not telling her anything. But I can’t stop her
from working. This is a big deal for her.”
“Sure. I get it,” Mike said. “But be careful.”
“You don’t need to tell me.”
Don’t miss the
rest of the Mike Stoneman Mysteries!
Find them on
Amazon
Kevin G. Chapman is an attorney
specializing in labor and employment law. Kevin has now completed seven books
in the Mike Stoneman Thriller series: Righteous
Assassin (Kindle Book Award semi-finalist), Deadly Enterprise
(Kindle Book Award semi-finalist), Lethal Voyage, (Winner of the 2021 Kindle Book Award, CLUE finalist, RONE
finalist), Fatal Infraction (Best
Police Procedural of the year – CLUE Award), Perilous Gambit, Double
Takedown, and now, Treacherous Hack. In late 2022, Kevin published a
stand-alone mystery/thriller titled Dead Winner (CLUE Award - Best Suspense/Thriller of the year). Then, in 2024
came The Other Murder, winner of the CLUE Award Grand Prize (best suspense/thriller of the year) and
finalist for the National Indie Excellence Award. Kevin is a resident of
Central New Jersey and is a graduate of Columbia College and Boston University
School of Law. Readers can contact Kevin via his website at www.KevinGChapman.com.
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