“Streetwhys is more noir than any noir has any right to be. Dizzying. Raw. Chambers’ words pop off the page like hot rounds from a Saturday Night Special. Buckle up, buttercup.” –Tracy Clark, Anthony, Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky and Lefty Award-winning author
“It’s apparent that the modern heir to Chandler, Woolrich, and Cain is Christopher Chambers, enough said.” —Strand Magazine
“[A] no-holds-barred crime novel . . . an exciting climax . . . a 21st-century twist on traditional hardboiled noir.” —Publishers Weekly
Washington DC’s notorious detective, former drug-addled street denizen Dickie Cornish, faces off with bloodthirsty cops and the justice department in the latest thrilling release by award-winning noir author Christopher Chambers.
In StreetWhys, underground detective Dickie Cornish faces a vindictive murder rap from his past if he doesn’t agree to help prove that the fentanyl ravaging the streets of DC is bankrolled by shadowy donors of a certain former president. Broke and desperate, Cornish soon finds himself on a collision course with shady public defenders and corrupt police officers, forcing him to use his street connections to flip their plan. Or die.
Chambers’s Dickie Cornish series has met with widespread critical acclaim. Publishers Weekly dubbed the series debut, Scavenger, “[A] no-holds-barred crime novel…a 21st-century twist on traditional hardboiled noir.” The Strand Magazine selected Standalone, the second book in the series, as one of the “Top 25 Mystery Novels of the Year,” adding “It’s apparent that the modern heir to Chandler, Woolrich, and Cain is Christopher Chambers, enough said.” And renowned crime author George Pelecanos raves that the series “really nails Washington, DC in the current environment.”
Chambers is an award winning author of mystery, noir, pulp, and graphic novels. He sits on the board of the Bouchercon World Mystery Writers Convention and is a judge for Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Awards. He lives in Washington, DC.
ISBN: 978-1-953103-55-0; $17; April 15, 2025; 334 pages;
Three Rooms Press; Trade Paper Original
Order STREETWHYS now:
High Praise for STREETWHYS
“There’s no other PI like Dickie Cornish, and that’s a shame. This dirty world could use more of his wise-assery, clear-sightedness, and just plain balls. There’s no other writer like Christopher Chambers, either, who also has all these assets.Chambers sends Cornish on a wild ride from the gutters to the marble halls of power; wild it might be, but it’s also, unsurprisingly, a straight shot. Don’t miss this book.” —SJ Rozan, best-selling author of The Murder Of Mr. Ma
“Dickie Cornish, underground detective, is one of the most original protagonists in crime fiction. The cases he becomes involved in resonate with sharp-edged topicality, making the reading of Streetwhys urgent and compelling.” —Gary Phillips, author of the Harry Ingram novels
“Christopher Chambers is the real deal. StreetWhys, his latest installment in the Dickie Cornish mystery series, is deliciously gritty, an unflinching look at American crime and modern politics.” —Eli Cranor, Author, You Don’t Know Tough, Ozark Dogs, and Broiler, winner of the Edgar for Best First Novel
“Streetwhys is more noir than any noir has any right to be. Dizzying. Raw. Chambers’ words pop off the page like hot rounds from a Saturday Night Special. Buckle up, buttercup.” –Tracy Clark, Anthony, Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky and Lefty Award-winning author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery and Det. Harriet Foster series
“Once again, Chambers brings to life the dark festering underbelly of DC, shining a light on what’s unseen. In colorful, sharp prose, Streetwhys asks the tough what-if questions, and explores the dark roads we’re forced to take. Unsparing and brutal, this is a read that will hook you.” —I. S. Berry, author, The Peacock and The Sparrow; Macavity, Edgar, Barry, ITW Award winer; New Yorker, Dilomatic Courier, and NPR Best Book of the Year
“In the tradition of Hammett and Pelecanos, Chambers’s Dickie Cornish series brings a fiercely innovative approach to the lonely, dauntless detective paradigm.” —Anjili Babbar, Lecturer of Humanities, Boston University; Agatha Award winner; Macavity and Anthony Award nominee
“You’ve never met a gumshoe quite like Dickie Cornish. In Streetwhys, Christopher Chambers invests his recently unhoused ex-junkie hero with a singular voice and an unmatched knowledge of the corruption-laded back alleys and dead-ends of our nation’s capital, expertly guiding us on a politically-charged journey into darkness.” – Scott Von Doviak, Edgar and Anthony Award-nominated author of Lowdown Road
About the Author
Critically-acclaimed, award-winning author Christopher Chambers is the creator of the Dickie Cornish detective series, including Scavenger, Standalone, and Streetwhys. His short fiction has appeared in numerous award-winning anthologies. He’s been nominated for a PEN/Malamud and is an accomplished pulp and graphic novel collaborative author. He sits on the Bouchercon World Mystery Writers Convention Board and is a judge for the Mystery Writers of America Edgars Awards. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and German Shepherd, Max.
