Karen Riney is a young woman desperate to put bad memories behind her and get back on her feet when she hits upon an idea to make fast money. In the depths of a recession, there's no business like the grow house business. But getting her venture off the ground requires some assistance.Enter Paschal Nix, a Dublin crime lord with a fearsome reputation. Nix provides more than money for the deal by throwing in the services of out-of-work builder Kevin Wyman, who is up to his ears in hoc to Nix and grappling with serious personal problems. He also dispatches hitman-for-hire Dara Burns to keep an eye on the investment, a man who's fiercely guarding his back in a world where life is cheap.All have their eyes on one prize: a quick killing. But as Karen Riney soon learns, when you're in over your head, there's no such thing as easy money. The Deal is a gripping, blind-siding tale of greed, revenge and the price of survival.

Praise for Ghost Town * : *
'An impressive and triumphant debut, astute in its social observations and gripping as a piece of entertainment. Mr Clifford's assured voice is a welcome addition to the canon of Irish crime fiction.' * Irish Examiner *
'A compelling odyssey into the dark heart of a country where it pays to "carry suspicion around like a spare shirt" ... Ghost Town is a journalist's book in the best sense of the word, deploying Michael Clifford's skill at reportage to forensic fictional aplomb' * Irish Independent *

Michael Clifford is a Dublin-based journalist and media commentator who writes for the Irish Examiner. He is the author of the non-fiction books Love You to Death, Scandal Nation and Bertie Ahern and the Drumcondra Mafia. His first novel Ghost Town was published in 2012.