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By Adam Plantinga

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When a plea for help sends retired Detroit cop Kurt Argento to the small desert town of Fenton, Arizona things immediately don’t appear to be as they seem, and he finds himself unraveling secrets that want to stay hidden and questioning his own moral compass.

After having survived a deadly prison break, ex-Detroit cop Kurt Argento is ready for some quiet. Still working through his grief over the passing of his wife, Argento finds himself house-sitting for a friend with his loyal companion, Hudson, a Chow Chow-Shepard mix. It’s a simple life, picking up odd jobs here and there, but it’s one that Argento is content to live.

Then Kristin Reed shows up with her young son, Ethan, and begs Argento to help find her missing husband… and Argento tells her he’d just be in the way. He’s no investigator, not anymore. He’s a handyman who fixes fences. But he’s not one to ignore his gut feeling when something is wrong. After an attempt to talk with Kristin more in the next town over, just to find her and her son missing as well, Argento starts to notice that Fenton, Arizona is more than meets the eye.

First there’s the large, overly equipped public safety team complete with specialized tactics and sophisticated weaponry. Then there’s the unusual financial boosting of failing small businesses by the U.S. government. And finally, there’s one man with no name who seems to have control over this town in an unprecedented way.

Argento finds himself unraveling not just the truth behind the disappearance of a family, but a conspiracy that’s taken a whole town to cover up. But Fenton, Arizona is going to push him further than he’s ever had to go. And along the way, he may just lose a part of himself as well. Because justice isn’t as black and white as Argento would like to believe.

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Kurt Argento

“Hard Town knocked the breath out of me, in the best way. Gripping, fiercely propulsive, and vividly written, it grabbed me from the first word and never let go.”
Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Hard Town packs hard hitting thrills and punches with intriguing moral dilemmas interspersed between suspenseful bits of crime solving and ass-kicking. You’ll be reading this without wanting to take even the smallest of breaks."
Kashif Hussain, The Best Thriller Books
PRAISE FOR THE ASCENT
“The Ascent is jaw-dropping, authentic, and absolutely gripping.”
Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of I Will Find You
“Adam Plantinga’s debut thriller, THE ASCENT, is a nail-biting ride out of Hell itself. It’s Dante’s Inferno—but with gangs, corruption, bone-breaking brawls, and a kick-ass, determined police officer struggling through it all to save another. It reads with raw authenticity and brutal honesty. Don’t miss this debut of a new crime-thriller star!”
James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Kingdom of Bones
"Damn! I had to hold onto this one for dear life. THE ASCENT is a ferociously propulsive thriller. Plantinga creates a haunted house of horrors that’s utterly convincing, while at the same time keeping the focus on complex, layered, and engaging characters. An outstanding debut crime novel."
Lou Berney, Edgar award-winning author of November Road
“If JD Salinger had been a street cop, he’d have written books like Adam Plantinga’s. This book is the real deal - flesh and blood characters, charming wit, and an insider’s pass to a one-of-a-kind white knuckle ride. Plantinga will soon join the ranks of Child and Connelly.”
Douglas Brunt, New York Times bestselling author and host of Dedicated with Doug Brunt on SiriusXM
“Not since Joseph Wambaugh released The Choirboys has a cop thriller delivered this level of authenticity, and The Ascent wears it like a badge. In his debut novel, Adam Plantinga weaves a jailhouse tale that serves up thrills from the first chapter through the final page. The book’s protagonist, a world-weary Detroit cop, is a revelation. Watch out, Jack Reacher—Kurt Argento has arrived, and he’s putting his rivals in the shade.”
Nancy Allen, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“The Ascent is a fantastic thriller that stands apart from the crowd—a high-test, high-stakes action spectacular with true thrills, true grit, and genuine heart. You’ll find the full spectrum from darkness to light between these covers, with a refreshing breeze as the pages fan by. Adam Plantinga is here to stay.”
Sean Doolittle, Thriller award-winning author of Device Free Weekend
"Adam Plantinga's debut novel, THE ASCENT, is a red hot blast of crime and punishment, and crackles with sly wit and a jaded authenticity that has been hard-earned by Plantinga's many years as a street cop. THE ASCENT is so damn good that I will read anything else Plantinga cares to write, including his grocery list."
Nick Petrie, author of The Price You Pay
"THE ASCENT is terrific—a brutal portrait of a tough cop in an unforgiving world. I loved it."
Robert Crais, bestselling author
"Pulse-pounding, cleverly plotted, fast-paced—expertly made entertainment."
Kirkus Reviews, starred
"The knockout first novel... Once readers catch their breath, they’ll be clamoring for more from this rising star."
Publishers Weekly, starred
"If you’re itching for a bloody action-packed jailbreak thriller with a protagonist best thought of as an even angrier Jason Statham, The Ascent is a book that needs to be on your watchlist for 2024."
Kashif Hussain, The Best Thriller Books
"Adam Plantinga’s debut thriller is a tense journey out of hell on earth, aka a maximum-security prison. Kurt Argento is an ex-cop whose stubborn compulsion to do the right thing ultimately lands him behind bars, where his luck goes from bad to worse. When the prison’s security system mysteriously fails during a visit from a prominent young woman, Kurt find himself going up against six floors of Missouri’s most dangerous inmates. Plantinga serves up a master class in suspense. Packed with high-stakes action, The Ascent is a riveting tale of survival and justice."
Apple Books Review

On Sale: Apr 8, 2025
Page Count: 320 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN-13: 9781538739907

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Adam Plantinga

About the Author

Adam Plantinga’s first book, 400 Things Cops Know, was nominated for an Agatha Award and won the 2015 Silver Falchion award for best nonfiction crime reference. It was hailed as “truly excellent” by author Lee Child and deemed “the new Bible for crime writers” by The Wall Street Journal. His second book, also nonfiction, is Police Craft. Plantinga began his career in law enforcement in 2001 as a Milwaukee police officer. He is currently a sergeant with the San Francisco Police Department assigned to street patrol. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, daughters, and Chow Chow named Ziggy. The Ascent was his debut novel.

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Adam Plantinga

About the Author