Stockcar

A brain-dead hayseed named Troy Slackherd's been caught red-handed trying to hijack an eighteen-wheeler filled with die-cast toy race cars. The culprit's the step-brother of pro-racing's most popular speed demon, Junior Senior Jr.-which means Redball's returning, against his will, to the 180 m.p.h. world of gas fumes, adrenaline, and treacherous curves. When the truckful of toys leads to a lockerful of cash-and to perfidy, porn, loser Louisiana wiseguys . . . and murder-Redball realizes he's back in the race for good or ill. And he'll have to keep moving . . . or die.

Rich-kid eco-terrorist Stanford Lichwick planned to blow up Mississippi's biggest, newest bridge. Now Stan's a zillion little pieces floating in the waters off Biloxi, while his target remains intact. This means folks can still get to Dabearer Island . . . and, eventually, to the casino, golf course, History of Auto Racing Museum, and state-of-the-art race track currently under construction there. Robert "Redball" Redding-a former stock-car racing superstar who now prosecutes bad guys-is supposed to be the Justice Department's public relations "face" in the open-and-shut Lichwick investigation. But Redball sees all the cash being poured into a tiny piece of floating real estate, and he suspects much of the dealing is less than honest. Some of it is downright deadly. And that's plunging him back into the race he hoped he'd never have to compete in again: the one for his life.