"A Truth Stranger Than Fiction is a clean, fast-paced mystery thriller, packed with unexpected shifts.... Our hero and narrator, Dakota Stevens, is a witty and charming PI detective.... This story is highly entertaining and fun in its action and humor, but beholden to a deeper focus."*
In an adrenaline-fueled case that races to the woods of Upstate New York, to Boston and the shores of Maine, to the Badlands--by foot, train, truck, boat and private jet--a seemingly simple missing persons investigation quickly becomes the most difficult and personal case of Dakota's career.
A Missing Author, G-Men, Mobsters and More...
Manhattan PI Dakota Stevens and his associate Svetlana Krüsh have just moved into new offices on Fifth Avenue. A pink-and-blue-haired teenage girl walks in with a problem: her older brother and guardian, a famous science fiction author, has been missing for a week. Before Dakota even has a chance to take the case, he and the girl are accosted by a horde of people all searching for the brother: government agents, thugs, mobsters, and two mysterious Chinese men. What could her brother possibly be into?
A Secret that Could Change the World...
In their search for the missing author, Dakota, Svetlana, and the girl must navigate a bizarre, interconnected world of foreign spies and fangirls, mobsters and murderers, government bureaucrats and corporate profiteers. In the end, Dakota exposes a secret that literally has the power to change the world. And the truth is a truth stranger than fiction.
"A Truth Stranger Than Fiction is a clean, fast-paced mystery thriller, packed with unexpected shifts.... Our hero and narrator, Dakota Stevens, is a witty and charming PI detective hailing from Manhattan.... A Truth Stranger Than Fiction is definitely worth the read. Between the fast pace and the clean, fluid language this story is hard to pause, and it's thought-provoking in its real-world relevance. This story is highly entertaining and fun in its action and humor, but beholden to a deeper focus." - *The Portsmouth Review
Readers Say:
"Orcutt has combined a classic hard-boiled with the page-turning frenzy of a Dan Brown novel."
"PI Dakota Stevens is a cross between Philip Marlowe and Jason Bourne and his partner Svetlana Krush is a chess Grandmaster with the body of a Victoria's Secret model."
"Just when you think you've solved the mystery, Orcutt surprises you with another unexpected twist."
"As for the characters--perfection. Flawed, funny, heroic and developed fully from the first page until the final page."
"I read A Real Piece of Work in three days. Didn't get much sleep...but it was well worth it."
"Dakota Stevens and his indispensable sidekick/chess champion Svetlana Krush are a delightful modern take on the noir detective style."
"The author's ability to paint a picture or scene with words is astounding. This book is ripe for adaptation to film."
"Orcutt weaves a story that keeps you hanging on until the very end."
"People in the reviews keep mentioning Spenser/Robert B. Parker, and they're right; but add a good streak of John Le Carré, turn the roaster up a notch, and maybe you're getting in the ballpark."
"Reading Orcutt is like chasing a lit fuse into a dark tunnel."
"I am now stalking this author on Amazon, anxiously awaiting the release of his next book in the series."
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"Fans of Mickey Spillane's more over-the-top Mike Hammer adventures will welcome Orcutt's third Dakota Stevens outing (after 2014's The Rich Are Different). The PI has just moved into a new Manhattan office when a desperate prospective client, 18-year-old Kelsey Wright, asks him to find her missing brother, Conover, a famous science fiction writer who was working on a mysterious new work of nonfiction. But even before Dakota can agree to help Kelsey, who's also upset that she's being tailed, a string of intruders to his office, including FBI agents, thugs from Nebraska, and two mobsters, insist on learning what Kelsey knows about Conover's whereabouts. Dakota and Kelsey later go on the lam, aided by an eccentric group of allies headed by Svetlana Krüsh, a former U.S. chess champion, who plays the role of Velda (Mike Hammer's secretary) to Dakota. Readers should expect plenty of bloodshed and action en route to an unexpected resolution of the mystery." — Publishers Weekly, Booklife
"A Truth Stranger Than Fiction is a clean, fast-paced mystery thriller, packed with unexpected shifts.... Our hero and narrator, Dakota Stevens, is a witty and charming PI detective hailing from Manhattan.... A Truth Stranger Than Fiction is definitely worth the read. Between the fast pace and the clean, fluid language this story is hard to pause, and it's thought-provoking in its real-world relevance. This story is highly entertaining and fun in its action and humor, but beholden to a deeper focus. From the strategic Mark Twain preface to the surprising climax, Orcutt takes a truth and hides it in plain sight. (4.5 stars)" — The Portsmouth Review