Black Ice

BLACK ICE is a story born of the axiom that a warrior must be tested. Think CREED meets FIGHT CLUB with a badass heroine. A crime drama set in modern-day New Orleans. This is the follow-up to THE LAST SHADOW where Maya Gaines was forced to choose between two ways of life. Now she's focused on family but finds that digging into her parents' past leads to the reemergence of an adversary. Maya uses both her ingenuity and martial arts skills to rise to the top of an underground fight ring, and in doing so she exposes those behind various criminal enterprises. BLACK ICE explores the themes of family, living for what you believe in despite the cost, and how good intentions may lead to bad results.

"With an incredible eye for the nuances of New Orleans, America's most interesting city, Michael Allen Zell presents crime fiction with verve, grit, and tenderness. The characters in THE LAST SHADOW are people I've known from a distance. Zell's talent allows readers to have access to the hidden dreams and terrors of their lives."

---Maurice Carlos Ruffin, author of THE AMERICAN DAUGHTERS

"Zell demonstrates a gallows humor and a fine ear for entertainment...like the best crime fiction, the story invests deeply in setting, and it succeeds by virtue of its author's palpable love for New Orleans and the people who live there."

---LOS ANGELES REVIEW OF BOOKS

"What really keeps us turning pages is Zell's authorial voice, his insights into human nature, and the dark sense of humor that comes out of observing city life."

---THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE