Slow Fire opens when the main character, disgraced cop Will Magowan, opens his mail and finds a mysterious job offer to become the police chief of Haydenville, a tiny town in rural Northern California.

Once a highly decorated LAPD narcotics detective, Will was terminated after a devastating personal tragedy drove him to become addicted to the heroin he was charged with keeping off the streets. Fresh out of rehab but jobless and estranged from his wife, Will now lives alone in an old Airstream trailer on the fringes of L.A.

Out of options, Will accepts the job. After moving to Haydenville, he discovers that the once postcard-perfect town is being corrupted by a criminal influence that threatens to destroy it.

Haydenville's normally law-abiding citizens begin to erupt in acts of unspeakable violence. Pets are going missing at an alarming rate. Stately Victorian homes are falling into disrepair.

With only a rookie officer at his disposal, Will risks everything in his quest to save Haydenville--entering a labyrinth of dark secrets that have remained buried for almost 40 years.

Praise for Mercer's first thriller has been quick and positive.

"Not one word wasted . . . writing as taut as stretched hemp," says New York Times bestseller Ted Bell.

"Dark and Twisted, Ken Mercer's Slow Fire starts fast and burns bright. I couldn't put it down," says Robert Ellis, author of City of Fire.

Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Both his prose and his hero are refreshingly honesty and direct."

Michael Haskins is the writer of the Mick Murphy Key West Mystery series. CHASIN' THE WIND the first in the series, was published in March 2008 and the second book, FREE RANGE INSTITUTION, will be available in February 2011. He has finished the third book in the series, CAR WASH BLUES. He lives with his wife, family, and sailboat in Key West, Florida.