When Peter Pluto shows up at P.I. Noah Braddock's apartment asking him to look for his missing younger brother, Linc, Noah is reluctant to take the case. After all, the last time he got involved in a disappearance case, his best friend, Carter, was shot and two other people died. But Peter describes Linc as a serious college student, so Noah reluctantly agrees.

As the investigation unfolds, Noah realizes there's a lot more to Linc than academia—unless your average undergrad also happens to have skinheads beating down his door and a cache of semiautomatic guns stored in his apartment. Aided by Carter, Noah discovers that Linc stole some money from the white supremacist group National Nation, an offshoot of the Aryan Nation. The skinheads will stop at nothing to find Linc—and when Noah wakes up at the bottom of a canyon, beaten and bruised, with Peter Pluto's corpse lying next to him, he realizes he's next on their list. BACKCOVER: Praise for Killer Swell:

“While the mystery contains surprising twists and turns, the real joy in this book is the characters. Like Harlan Coben did so well in his Myron Bolitar series, putting together two friends whose sarcastic banter is a hoot to follow, Shelby has done the same here.”
—THE DENVER POST

“Shelby writes like a pro, with realistic characters, terrific plotting, and a setting that makes you want to jump into your jams and wax up your board.”
—THE KANSAS CITY STAR

“A heck of a detective whose surfer appearance belies a thoughtful, tough, hardworking guy who knows his way around an investigation. . . . Shelby has written a serious detective story with a generous helping of humor that comes from the characters, not Shelby. And that makes everything feel just right, like a day at the beach.”
—DETROIT FREE PRESS

“Snappy dialogue and descriptions. . . . Skillful use of underutilized San Diego locations.”
—THE WASHINGTON POST