The Hollow Mountain: A James Staphano Novel: 2

In the mountains of Colorado, silver is cheap, but silence costs millions.It starts like every classic setup: a beautiful woman in a tailored suit, a missing husband, and an envelope full of cash. Denver Private Detective James Staphano takes the job, expecting to find a cheating spouse or a guy who skipped out on his debts.He couldn't be more wrong.Arthur Vance is a brilliant forensic accountant who stumbled onto a massive federal wire fraud orchestrated by the elite board members of his own Chicago firm. Hunted by heavily armed corporate fixers and corrupt mining directors, Vance has vanished into the brutal, freezing underworld of the Colorado Rockies.To find him, Staphano has to navigate a labyrinth of fake assays, deadly mine collapses, and neon-lit salvage yards. Outgunned and outspent, Staphano teams up with his shotgun-toting partner, Mike, to pull off the ultimate con against the corporate elites. They have the guns, but Staphano has the one thing the syndicate fears most: the man who knows the numbers.Perfect for fans of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and gripping historical thrillers, this 1940s hardboiled noir delivers rapid-fire dialogue, high-stakes corporate espionage, and a relentlessly gritty atmosphere.