One Dead Partner, One Missing Fortune and Two Gangs Ready for War

New crime novel follows a veteran-turned-repo-man as a suspicious crash pulls him into a violent criminal conspiracy

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., May 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hunter Thomas' new novel, "A Swell Lot of Thieves: Two Gangs One County and The Man Caught in the Middle," follows a former soldier and recovery agent pulled into a widening criminal conflict after a routine case turns deadly.

Set in 1993 Arkansas, the novel centers on Derek "Deke" Hatchett, a veteran who returns home from military service in Panama and takes over his father's struggling recovery agency. Hatchett expects his work to involve repossessions, unpaid debts and the occasional threat. Instead, the death of his partner in a suspicious car crash leads him into a violent chain of events involving a missing inheritance, a murdered suspect and two rival gangs competing for control in Maltese County.

The book combines crime fiction and action thriller storytelling. Hatchett is portrayed as a morally complicated protagonist who operates outside traditional detective work but is forced to investigate when the violence around him begins to point back to his own business, his contacts and his past.

"I wanted to write about a man who thinks he has already seen the worst people can do, only to find himself trapped in a conflict where everyone has something to hide," Thomas said. "Hatchett is not a perfect hero. He is a survivor, and the story asks what survival costs when violence becomes the language everyone understands."

"A Swell Lot of Thieves" uses its fictional Maltese County setting to explore crime, corruption, loyalty and desperation. As Hatchett searches for answers, he must rely on old favors, uneasy alliances and his own instincts to stay alive. The result is a fast-moving crime story built around shifting loyalties, dangerous secrets and the consequences of getting caught between powerful enemies.

"A Swell Lot of Thieves: Two Gangs One County and The Man Caught in the Middle"

By Hunter Thomas

ISBN: 9781665776127 (softcover); 9781665776134 (electronic)

Available at Archway Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author

A military and law enforcement veteran, Hunter Thomas has dreamed of writing a book since he was a little kid. He lives on the East Coast with his wife. This is his first novel.

General Inquiries: LAVIDGE – Phoenix Ashley Fletcher [email protected]

SOURCE Archway Publishing