Max Archer doesn’t want trouble. Trouble keeps hiring him anyway.

Max Archer is a hard-boiled private investigator with a broken past, a filthy office, and zero patience for modern technology. A former professional wrestler turned gumshoe, Max scrapes by on cheap cases, bad coffee, and stubborn pride—sleeping on his office couch while trying to stay out of trouble.

That ends when a city councilwoman turns up dead—and the police quietly pull Max into a case no one else wants. At the same time, a beautiful stripper known as Sparkles hires him to track down her missing Saint Bernard and a diamond-studded collar worth a small fortune.

What should be an easy paycheck spirals into a deadly collision of murder, mob secrets, corrupt officials, and long-buried sins. As killers close in from the Midwest and the past comes roaring back, Max realizes the collar everyone wants may be the key to something far more dangerous than money.

Outmatched, outgunned, and running on instinct, Max Archer has only one option: uncover the truth—or become the next body.

A gritty, darkly humorous noir thriller packed with sharp dialogue, memorable characters, and classic hard-boiled attitude.

Perfect for fans of:

• Private investigator mysteries
• Noir crime fiction
• Hard-boiled detective novels
• Mob thrillers and corrupt-city crime stories

Some cases won’t let you walk away. This one won’t let Max Archer live.