I’ve always found cold cases fascinating. Mysteries, to me, should always be solved. I’m obviously not alone. As a species, we ponder a great many things. Are we alone in the universe? Is there life after death? Who built the pyramids?

But cold cases are particularly vexing. I mean, you know there’s an answer. Someone must know what happened. Especially in cold murder cases. At the very least, the murderer knows what happened. But they’re obviously not talking. And the only thing worse than losing a loved one, as I understand it, is not understanding why that person was taken from you.

USA Today Bestselling Author Dean Wesley Smith takes on cold cases in his Cold Poker Gang mystery series. And the latest book, Bad Beat, releases tomorrow.

Here’s the synopsis:

The Cold Poker Gang consists of a group of retired Las Vegas Police detectives getting together once a week to play cards and work to solve cold cases.

Retired Detectives Bayard Lott and Julia Rogers stand at an unmarked grave in

the desert, about ready to close a thirty-year-old cold case of a missing woman.

But what appears from that grave keeps their case very much open, and shines a light on many other cold cases.

Another twisted mystery that only the Cold Poker Gang can solve.

If you haven’t read this series yet, I encourage you to do so. But be warned. Dean is skilled at providing all the grisly details of a crime scene, so if that’s not your bag, you might want to go in for some of his lighter stuff.

But if you love a great mystery, especially one that involves cold cases, this is an excellent series to check out. The books are available in ebook and trade paperback from your favorite bookseller.

And unlike the cases featured in these pages, the books themselves will never grow cold.

Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer.