Xavier “Scarecrow” Wallace, a mixed-race MMA fighter on the wrong side of thirty, is facing the fight of his life. After the Lights Go Out (Soho Press, $26.00).Ī harrowing and spellbinding story about family, the complications of mixed-race relationships, misplaced loyalties, and the price athletes pay to entertain-from the critically acclaimed author of Three-Fifths Eli is currently at work on his next novel, Ozark Dogs, which will be published by Soho Crime in 2023. The New York Times called the novel 'one of the best debuts of 2022,' while USA Today labeled it one of the 'Best Books of the Year.'Īlong with fiction, Eli writes a nationally-syndicated sports column, and his craft column, 'Shop Talk,' appears monthly over at CrimeReads. These days, he's traded in the pigskin for a laptop, writing from Arkansas where he lives with his wife and kids.Įli's novel Don't Know Tough was awarded the Peter Lovesey First Crime Novel Contest. Now nothing can stop an explosive chain of violence that could tear the whole town apart on the eve of the playoffs.Įli Cranor played quarterback at every level: peewee to professional, and then coached high school football for five years. Then Billy’s abuser is found murdered in the Lowe family trailer, and all evidence points toward Billy. As a born-again Christian, Trent feels a divine calling to save Billy-save him from his circumstances, and save his soul. But the head coach, Trent Powers, who just moved from California with his wife and two children for this job, has more than just his paycheck riding on Billy’s bad behavior. Without Billy Lowe, the Denton Pirates can kiss their playoff bid goodbye. Billy takes out his anger on the field, but when his savagery crosses a line, he faces suspension. Billy comes from an extremely troubled home: a trailer park where he is terrorized by his unstable mother’s abusive boyfriend. In Denton, Arkansas, the fate of the high school football team rests on the shoulders of Billy Lowe, a volatile but talented running back.

WINNER OF THE PETER LOVESEY FIRST CRIME NOVEL CONTESTįriday Night Lights gone dark with Southern Gothic Eli Cranor delivers a powerful noir that will appeal to fans of Wiley Cash and Megan Abbott.

Don't Know Tough (Soho Press, $24.95 Signed). Click here to order a signed copy John Vercher discusses After the Lights Go OutĮli Cranor.

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