The Broken Fixer

The Broken Fixer by Ralph Dennis

The gritty, hard-edged novel of sex, crime, and corruption in 1970s Atlanta…and the man who is paid to hide it all… by Ralph Dennis, author of the legendary Hardman series of detective novels.

Vince Gorman is a ruthless lawyer with flexible morality who makes problems go away for David Wardlaw, an Atlanta real estate developer and the owner of the city’s pro basketball team. Wardlaw doesn’t care how Vince fixes things…as long as it gets done. But now Vince is in over his head… covering up a possibly fatal hit-and-run by the team’s hard-partying star shooter… and competing with Wardlaw’s rivals to bribe, blackmail and intimidate the corrupt politicians who award the city’s rich construction contracts…all while desperately scrambling to keep his own life of dark secrets, relentless womanizing, and soul-rotting compromises from crashing down around him. 

This is an edited and revised version of a book previously published in 1975 under the title Atlanta.


Books by Ralph Dennis

Hoop Noir

Hoop Noir

Two gritty, fast-moving novels set in the world of basketball by legendary crime writer Ralph Dennis.

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Tales of a Sad, Fat Wordman

Tales of a Sad, Fat Wordman

This collection of some of Ralph's early short stories and poetry, framed with excerpts from articles about him and by essays from authors who knew him well.

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Dust in the Heart

Dust in the Heart

There's a killer stalking children in a small, North Carolina town...and the only one who can stop him is the local Sheriff, a man crippled physically and emotionally by a war that he's still fighting within himself. The haunting, powerful new thriller by Ralph Dennis, author of the legendary Hardman series of crime novels

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All Kinds of Ugly

All Kinds of Ugly

The recently discovered, long-lost, 13th and final Hardman adventure sends the unlicensed PI to London to find a missing man...where he becomes embroiled in an ugly case of embezzlement and murder.

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Reviews For The Broken Fixer

The Broken Fixer 5.0

THE BROKEN FIXER is a forerunner of THE WIRE in its insight into the way the city really works. It's a story that ropes you in. Dennis displays an impressive scope and great characterisations. This is cool noir and the story is perfectly pitched. An ambitious and insightful read.

NB Magazine UK

The Broken Fixer 5.0

Dennis' muscular prose has lost none of its luster or power."

Mystery Scene Magazine

The Broken Fixer 5.0

Straight-up, hardboiled crime fiction, written in a tight, evocative voice with a wicked, dark sense of humor.

Lee Goldberg

The Broken Fixer 5.0

His prose is muscular, swift and highly readable.

Joe R. Lansdale

The Broken Fixer 5.0

Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment.

New York Times