Cold Rolled Dead

Cold Rolled DeadIts the perfect seaside resort. Pristine sand, mansions galore and, oh yes, that pesky guy stuffed into a 55 gallon drum on the beach. No face, no fingerprints all have been burned away. Its enough to ruin Detective Matt Forges already miserable day. In a first novel by veteran investigative reporter Paul DAmbrosio, the New Jersey Shore and the Garden States reputation for corrupt politics and organized crime set the scene for a bizarre local murder

It’s the perfect seaside resort. Pristine sand, mansions galore and, oh yes, that pesky guy stuffed into a 55-gallon drum on the beach. No face, no fingerprints — all have been burned away. It’s enough to ruin Detective Matt Forge’s already miserable day.

In a first novel by veteran investigative reporter Paul D’Ambrosio, the New Jersey Shore and the Garden State’s reputation for corrupt politics and organized crime set the scene for a bizarre local murder that leads detectives into a world of global financial crime.

Cold Rolled Dead is a dark, gritty and occasionally wry look at a murder that takes Forge deep into the underbelly of modern-day political corruption — a place where high-stakes power grabs have supplanted cash bribes. Forge soon finds himself in a race against time to unravel an international, billion-dollar land scheme that reaches to the highest levels of government.

In a fast paced story, the author, a highly honored editor and reporter, applies his understanding of how political campaign laws are abused and skirted, of the New Jersey criminal underworld, and how money greases the many wheels of power. The author’s tech-savvy grasp of cutting-edge computer software, the latest in high-tech crime fighting tools and sophisticated digital security gadgets gives the book an of-the-moment vérité.

Set on New Jersey’s summer Shore, the novel takes in all of the landscape — from the geographical (the resort beaches of Long Beach Island, the backwaters, and the Pine Barrens) — to the political and criminal. The story is a thrilling three-day ride that can only end, fittingly, by a historic lighthouse under Fourth of July fireworks.

"A page-turner.... Cold Rolled Dead is both compelling entertainment and a warning to keep our eyes on our public officials," said the Asbury Park Press.