My name is Dash Fuller and I’m a recovering alcoholic. I’m also a recovering standup comedian. And I’m a recovering fixer—the type of guy you call when you’re an executive at a Hollywood studio and you have a big problem that needs to be solved very quietly. I’m talking about problems like movie stars accidentally killing their friend during a game of Russian roulette, or a former employee who wants money or they’ll leak the studio’s latest blockbuster onto the web.

I’m no longer a fixer, thanks to a life-changing weekend in the countryside north of Los Angeles. A young woman named Madeline Ironwood—she’s since become a good friend—paid me to find out who killed her father, Ken Ironwood, a famous smuggler whose bones were discovered in a barrel at the bottom of a dried-up lake. Despite a surprisingly large number of people trying to keep old secrets buried by killing us, we managed to solve the case.

Along the way, let’s just say I, ah… lost a few friendships. Permanently. It’s funny how Madeline’s past intersected with mine. Funny and deadly. But I’ve moved on, and now I’m a detective, still learning the proverbial ropes but more than happy to sleuth for whomever has the cash.

A detective gig isn’t like what you see in the movies. On a typical day, I might spend hours in my car, parked on a side street, watching a house or an office. I also follow people on behalf of my clients, and I’m very good at it—I know all the tricks, like how far to stay back when you’re tailing someone on the 101. In the evening, I make a point of going to the gym for an hour, because otherwise all that sitting would destroy my body. After that, I’ll likely work on my reports to clients while watching an old movie; working for the studios might have burned me out, but I still believe in the magic of film, the beauty of a scene perfectly executed.

Today’s surveillance is a little different, though. A faded movie star—she was big in rom-coms around twenty years ago, followed by a reality TV series that died after three seasons—has paid me to retrieve her little chihuahua from a gang of thieves. Those punks want a million bucks for the dog’s safe return, but she doesn’t have the money, because the last time she had a box-office hit, Obama was in office.

The dog-nappers are lurking in an apartment building in downtown LA. I can’t get past the locked front door, and I’m not sure what floor they’re on, so I’ll have to wait for them to come out. That means I need to lurk around the neighborhood for hours, which will draw suspicion—especially if they’re watching from the windows.

Fortunately, I have a solution. I bought a baby doll, along with a chest carrier. It’s unusually cool for this time of year, I slipped a knit hat over the fake baby’s head and bundled the little body in a thick blanket. I look like just another dad, strolling the streets with my baby strapped to me, a jumbo cup of coffee in my hand. I think this might be the smartest move I’ll make all day.

After all, nobody gives a second glance to a guy with a baby.

Where the Bones Lie
Genre: Thriller
Release: March 2025
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

For Dash Fuller, Hollywood’s underbelly is home. He’s spent years making the film industry’s worst secrets disappear, and it’s left him a cynical burnout with a taste for bourbon and self-loathing.

But when a young woman comes to him with a peculiar quest, Dash sees a chance at redemption. Madeline Ironwood is the daughter of Ken Ironwood, a notorious smuggler and murderer who disappeared 20 years ago. Ken’s skeleton has just been discovered in a barrel at the bottom of a dried-up lake, and Madeline wants to know who killed him.

Dash agrees to help, and as this desperate daughter and jaded cynic claw their way through a world of sun-bleached secrets, crooked cops, and Hollywood thugs, they soon uncover a conspiracy involving some of LA’s most powerful people.

Get ready for a fast-paced, darkly funny thriller with a twist you won’t see coming.

About the author
Nick Kolakowski is the author of several crime novels, including “Where the Bones Lie” (Datura Books) and “Love & Bullets” (Shotgun Honey). His short stories and nonfiction essays have appeared in various anthologies and magazines, including CrimeReads, Noir City (the magazine of the Film Noir Foundation), Mystery Weekly, Shotgun Honey, Mystery Tribune, Rock & A Hard Place, and more. He’s been dominated for the Anthony and Derringer Awards, and his short story “Scorpions” appeared in the Best American Mystery and Suspense’s 2024 edition.