Is the system rigged so that only thieves reap rewards, while honest hardworking folks get the shaft?Johnny "The Snake" Serpente is a former Brooklyn mobster, a ruthless sociopath who's made a fortune building public housing using banned toxic materials that will endanger his tenants' health for generations. He has a stunning trophy wife who cheats on him indiscriminately.Builder Derek Davis has lost everything on a visionary project that he believed would change the way America lives, and is reduced to doing odd jobs to survive. To add to his woes, he's been beaten senseless ---likely on Serpente's orders in retaliation for an imaginary affair with his wife.His best friend, private investigator Riley King, uncovers Serpente's corruption and is determined to make him pay. As a side benefit, he intends to bed the man's seductive spouse."Neer's The Master Builders is a masterwork of modern PI fiction. Charlotte's streets may not seem as mean or as dark as New York's or LA's, but don't be fooled. Wherever there's money to be made, there's potential for mayhem, and ex-FBI agent Riley King finds more than his share. Sometimes, it finds him."~ -Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of Where It Hurts."The Master Builders is aptly named--not just because of the subject matter but because Richard Neer does a masterful job of building a suspenseful plot around a fascinatingly flawed--but eminently sympathetic--main character. You won't want to put it down." -John Feinstein, New York Times bestselling author