In his previous career, William Lashner worked as a Department of Justice prosecutor. Since then, he has penned the acclaimed series featuring Victor Carl, which has drawn comparisons to Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos. His most recent work, GUARANTEED HEROES, is quite a departure from his prior releases. This is not a crime drama or courtroom thriller but rather a futuristic story set firmly within the science fiction genre.

"Lashner has penned a compelling and unique novel in which he includes a number of historical influences like Louis Armstrong, Janis Joplin and Dashiell Hammett. This diverse list demonstrates just how interesting GUARANTEED HEROES is."

We witness a United States 40 years after it was devastated by nuclear bombs. This world is both dystopian and surreal yet frighteningly familiar. The focus is on two protagonists. The first is Moonis Fell, a man incarcerated in a Labor Camp for the Malcontented. The nation has lots of different “prisons,” and Moonis is one of many inmates who wants to escape. The other character is Clyde Sparrow, who works a dead-end job at a diner passing out meals to his customers with little enthusiasm. The government has deemed his job a guaranteed one, so he should be satisfied with that. But Clyde has greater aspirations, not all of which are legal. He does side jobs as a drug trafficker while continuing to look for a way out of his current circumstances.

It's just a matter of time before these two old friends are reunited. What will bring them together is a rescue mission. Moonis' sister, Cecily, has gone missing, and the fear is that she is being held captive by a psychotic gang lord named Raden. The newly escaped prisoner, Moonis, and his old friend and one-time flame of Cecily's, Clyde, must travel into the unchartered and burnt-out center of the country to find Cecily and escape the wastelands with their lives intact.

Cecily believes that only Moonis is capable of saving her. When word gets to her that Moonis and Clyde may be after her, she worries that they will not be able to overcome Raden and his forces and thus fears the worst for them. However, there is not much that can deter them as each has seen time inside various prison camps, which has built in them a fearless nature that will not allow them to quit a task regardless of the danger they may face.

Watching as Moonis and Clyde make their epic trek into the wasted terrain known as the D-Lands is reminiscent of many other works of fiction that involve dangerous quests. The difference here is recognizing the fine line between heroism and having a death wish. Lashner has penned a compelling and unique novel in which he includes a number of historical influences like Louis Armstrong, Janis Joplin and Dashiell Hammett. This diverse list demonstrates just how interesting GUARANTEED HEROES is.