Manhattan Death Ballad – PRE ORDER

Sometimes the road you take presents you with choices about the onward journey. He wouldn’t call it opportunities. He was drifting, he was without joy.

On a lonely holiday, widower Leonard meets a beautiful assassin. From that day his whole life is turned upside down. Drawn into Meg’s world, Leonard becomes an unwitting killer, favoured by the mysterious Bureau for his efficient kills.

An evocative and compelling look at the trials and tribulations of an author-cum-assassin as he reflects on his life, his loves, and the death he delivers with careful precision.

A COMPANION TO JUST A GIRL WITH A GUN

REVIEWS OF JUST A GIRL WITH A GUN

‘A great bit of storytelling. Jakubowski’s love of play shines. The end is poetic … a meditation on the weight and absurdity of life. It’s devastating.’ Paul Burke, Crime Time FM

‘Another compelling tale from an author who both shocks and delights. and sees the return of a much-loved (and feared) character from previous books and stories. Jakubowski is always unpredictable but unlike most other writers he weaves a fascinating web of the perverse and the tender. Unputdownable. The publishers boldly claim it a modern noir classic and tempt fate, but they might be right!‘ Anthony Barnett, Amazon

246pp approx. B format. Paperback Original.
ISBN: 978-1-84583-253-7
Cover by Martin Baines
Published 21 November 2025

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maxim Jakubowski worked for several decades in publishing and later owned the Murder One bookshop. He has written 20 novels (including 10 under a collaborative pen name, several of which made the Sunday Times top 10) and 5 collections of short stories. He is recognized as a major expert on popular fiction and reviewed crime for 12 years each for Time Out London and The Guardian, and won several awards in the mystery and SF & fantasy field. He is also a major editor of bestselling anthologies, and has been translated widely. He lives in London.