“The atmosphere is always first rate” – Publishers WeeklyMike Faraday, private investigator is back on the job – this time wandering into the world of Hollywood, that elusive elite society that L.A. revolves around. Dr. Nathan Crisp asks Faraday to find his beautiful yet wandering wife, former famous movie star Zarah Fayne. Crisp makes it clear that there’s no love lost between the two, but Fayne has made off with some money.Now it’s Faraday’s job to track it down. While trying to figure out this newest mystery in the way only the sardonic detective can, he uncovers a trail that leads to a million-dollar Hollywood racket in pornographic films. The trail takes him from Jet Studios to Caribou Lake and, as always, bullets fly and murder will out. Meanwhile, Mike finds himself surrounded by a host of characters, but who can he trust?There’s Carol Foster, and the lovely Denise Silverman also takes his eye. And then there’s Starr, the cold professional killer, with Faraday in her sights…Will Faraday make it out of this one with his life?He will have to rely on his quick wit, gritty work ethic, and the connections he’s made over the years, including his ally McGiver in the LAPD, to solve this newest case and once again uncover what is really going on behind the scenes. But as the case complicates itself, Faraday keeps digging for the truth, and discovers almost more than he can handle…Scratch on the Dark is a gripping mystery thriller that you won’t be able to put down.Praise for Basil Copper:“Hard-boiled thrillers” – The Guardian“an indefatigable talesmith in the Lovecraftian vein” – Kirkus Reviews“[Copper has] achieved a truly poignant view of the macabre.” – Science Fiction and Fantasy Review“his macabre writings have stood alongside the best work of his contemporaries” – The Black Abyss review blog“lures the reader into a web of gothic splendour and macabre happenings” – Rising Shadow“well-worth reading for its eerie atmosphere, wonderfully-described underground horrors, and growing tension” – Skulls in the Stars review blogBasil Copper (1924-2013) was a British author. He wrote several horror and detective stories, and novels. He was perhaps best known for his series of Solar Pons stories continuing the character created as a tribute to Sherlock Holmes by August Derleth.