<p class="ql-align-justify">An out-of-work journalist finds a second life 'stealing cars'; A grad student finds out that theft is easy, but getting away with it is another matter entirely; A long-lost love can't be rekindled in a remote hotel room, but a long-held ember of anger can be reignited; A tale of murder and mayhem in the Big Easy ...</p><p class="ql-align-justify">In NEGATIVE TILT: Stories, award-winning author Bobby Mathews shares twenty-eight tales that run the gamut, from a literary punch in the gut to unrequited and lost love to fast-and-hard crime fiction to out-and-out horror that's hard to turn away from.</p><p class="ql-align-justify"><br></p><h2>What folks are saying...</h2><p>"Bobby Mathews is a hell of a Southern storyteller conjuring stories with brutal honesty and truth. He writes about a world of jilted lovers, down on their luck journalists, and desperate men seeking revenge. A wild and haunting ride from start to finish."</p><p>-<strong>Ace Atkins</strong>, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <strong><em>Don't Let the Devil Ride</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p>"<strong><em>Negative Tilt</em></strong> unveils Bobby Mathews as a modern, powerful, and versatile voice of modern noir, with a collection that will weave readers through a tangled cast of characters that reflect the lonesome, hard-fought, and relatable that populate Mathews's tales of struggle and revenge. <strong><em>Negative Tilt</em></strong>'s stark, chiseled prose shoots through you from the first story. Next thing you know, you've burned through the entire book. Don't miss this collection."</p><p><br></p><p>-<strong>Alex Segura</strong>, award-winning and bestselling author of <strong><em>Secret Identity</em></strong> and <strong><em>Alter Ego</em></strong></p><p>"Mixing gimlet-eyed intensity, a poet's gift for the perfect phrase, and a breathtaking depth of humanity, Bobby Mathews offers one stunner after another in <strong><em>Negative Tilt</em></strong>, illuminating the lives of characters haunted by what they've done, what's been done to them, and the fierce weight of what they might do next."</p><p><br></p><p>-<strong>Art Taylor</strong>, Edgar Award-winning author of <strong><em>The Adventure of the Castle Thief and Other Expeditions and Indiscretions</em></strong></p><p>"This gripping, wide-ranging collection encompasses backwoods vengeance, Parisian tricksters, a mirror that reflects the crimes of the past, and so much more. Bobby Mathews' versatility is matched only by the humanity he invests in even his most broken, desperate characters."</p><p>-<strong>Scott Von Doviak</strong>, Edgar Award-nominated author of <strong><em>Lowdown Road</em></strong> and <strong><em>Charlesgate Confidential</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p>"Most crime writers come on hard, like they want to show the world how tough they are. Bobby Mathews is a different kind of cat: in <strong><em>Negative Tilt</em></strong>, he wants to show you how even the worst of us have a vulnerable heart. This insightfulness and empathy make him one of the best writers working today."</p><p>-<strong>Nick Kolakowski</strong>, author of <strong><em>Payback Is Forever</em></strong> and <strong><em>Love ' Bullets</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p>"<strong><em>Negative Tilt</em></strong> is more than a collection, it's a body, sprawled out on the table, open and sensitive and bleeding yet furiously, gloriously, alive. With a reporter's eye for detail, a barbarian's taste for chaos, a poet's sense of soul, and a conman's mastery for turns of phrase, Bobby Mathews announces himself as a vital voice, not just to crime fiction, but also as an heir to Portis, Woodrell, and Hiaasen."</p><p>-<strong>Paul J. Garth</strong>, author of <strong><em>The Low White Plain</em></strong></p>