Product Description Prison-for-profit scheme thrusts insurance investigator into his disturbing past―and extreme danger Jay Porter, the newest employee at NorthEastern Insurance in New Hampshire, is investigating an accident claim when he learns the teenager behind the wheel was arrested for minor drug possession and sentenced to a hardcore behavioral modification center. At the county courthouse, Jay meets Nicki, a young college intern, who tips him off to a possible scandal--first-time juvenile offenders being shipped to private institutions for political kickbacks. He learns that long-time family nemeses, Adam and Michael Lombardi, may have a stake in the scheme. Is Jay's mission to help these kids a legitimate crusade? Or is his thirst for revenge driven by the guilt he feels over his own junkie brother's death? These questions conspire to tear apart tranquility and drive a wedge between Jay and his wife Jenny. With help from new friend Nicki, and a couple of old friends, Jay finds himself thrust back into a past he had hoped to leave behind, putting everything--and everyone he loves―at risk in pursuit of the truth. Review "Joe Clifford's December Boys is a riveting, muscular, powerfully written novel that reminds me of the early works of Russell Banks. Jay Porter is a richly detailed character whose tenacity, haunted past, dead end job, and difficult marriage give him a dimensionality and authenticity that is quite rare in contemporary crime fiction. Though the odds against Jay are overwhelming, with savvy, a burning drive and devoted friends, Jay confronts head-on some of the iciest bad guys you ll ever meet. Joe Clifford is the real deal." ―James W. Hall, Edgar and Shamus Award-winning author of The Big Finish "December Boys is more than great noir, or great crime fiction; it's great fiction, period. Spare and gritty, Joe Clifford's depiction of America s seedy underbelly combines razor-sharp dialogue with a c