Murder is Not an Odd Job

Murder is Not an Odd Job by Ralph Dennis

It’s Atlanta, 1974. Ex-cop Jim Hardman and his drinking buddy Hump Evans, an ex-NFL player, will do just about anything short of a felony to make a buck…but even that rule is flexible. 

In their sixth adventure, Hardman steps into the middle of a bar fight and stumbles into a deadly but lucrative job — protecting  a guy who is next-in-line for a massive inheritance from being murdered by professional assassins. But as the body count rises, and killers just keep on coming, it becomes clear to Hardman that the motive is more than money… and that he may be fighting an adversary who will never stop, even after death.  

This new edition includes an Afterword from author Cynthia Williams, who was one of Ralph Dennis’ students.


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 Murder is Not an Odd Job

Murder is Not an Odd Job 5.0

The Hardman books are by far the best of the men’s
action-adventure series.

Mother Jones Magazine

Murder is Not an Odd Job 5.0

This is the sixth in the Hardman series, and it is one of the best paperback crime series to have hit the stands. The action is tough without being sadistic, and Dennis is a professional writer through and through.

New York Times

Murder is Not an Odd Job 5.0

Among the best series books around.

Philadelphia Daily News

Murder is Not an Odd Job 5.0

Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared.

Mystery Scene

Murder is Not an Odd Job 5.0

Dennis may not have made literature of Hardman, but he damn sure touched on it more than a time or two.

Joe R. Lansdale