The action is intense in this debut mystery featuring Martin Carter, a former hockey star whose career was cut short by a head injury. Now he's has to solve three apparent, related murders - one of them his own - to get his life and reputation back.

Former hockey great Martin Carter now works for the New York St. Patricks, a team with a rare chance at winning a playoff spot. Their fans are hungry for the Cup, but their hopes are smashed when a crucial game ends in a violent, bench-clearing brawl, and a star forward is left in a coma.

Only one person saw what happened. She caught the attack on video and intends to use it for some expensive blackmail. When her body is found by the cops two days later, Carter is in deep trouble. His DNA is all over her and her apartment, and hers in his. And the footage, which now only he has seen, is missing.

In a story full of unexpected twists, the action is intense, the stakes are high, and the main player very cool under pressure.

About the Author
The author of Hockey: A People's History and four earlier books on hockey, MICHAEL MCKINLEY is also a journalist, a documentary filmmaker, and a screenwriter. A Vancouver native, he was educated at the University of British Columbia and at the University of Oxford. While at Oxford, he was associate editor of the Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations. His journalism has appeared in major venues on two continents, including the Guardian, Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the National Post, and Saturday Night magazine. He has also written and produced several documentaries for CNN, and one episode of Due South. The Penalty Killing is his first novel.