James H. Waggoner's stunning suspense novel Empty Soul for Hire explores a hidden world of murder, betrayal, and greed where Lance Goodman has carved out a lucrative career torturing and killing the enemies of a select and savagely vindictive clientele. The tale's protagonist, in the tenth year of his one-man reign of terror, is a man at war with himself and the world around him. To others, Lance appears ordinary despite the monstrous deeds he commits. Perhaps he reflects the monster lurking inside us all, kept at bay only by circumstance and good fortune. Waggoner's netherworld heavies circle one another like scorpions in a calculated dance of death, knowing the contest is zero-sum: in each encounter only one survives. By chance, Lance meets Jordan Hughes, a beautiful and self-sufficient young woman who seems to offer him refuge and a way to escape the demons devouring him from within. Empty Soul for Hire is an exciting story of malice, deception, and brutal revenge. But it is also a story of compassion, humanity, and the miracle of redemption through love. Once you've read it, you won't forget it.