Up in Smoke — Harry Paul Lonsdale

For the love of a good cigar, ex-homicide cop Nicholas Chase abandoned the mean streets of New York City for The Happy Smoking Ground, a cigar store in Cambridge, Massachusetts. But more than fine tobacco crosses the threshold of his aromatic domain ...

Surgeon General's Warning:
Murder May Be Hazardous To
Your Health


When he opened his smoke shop's doors to the publisher of a slick cigar-lovers' magazine for a book signing, Nick Chase had no idea he was inviting in controversy ... and worse. But it seems the outrageously outspoken Melvin Chandler is as unpopular with his business associates and his own family as lie is with rabid anti-smoking advocates. And when Chandler is found dead in his hotel room -- the victim, apparently, of a careless puffing-in-bed mishap -- Nick can't help but suspect that the "accident" was merely a smoke screen for murder. Now, armed with a generous supply of good cigars and an investigator's keen understanding of what makes people kill, Nick is lighting out on a hunt for an assassin, a process which, like the cultivation of fine tobacco, requires patient nurturing, perfect timing and an instinct for when to reap the harvest. But like a cheap stogie, something about this case really stinks ... and it could end up burning Nicholas Chase bad.