Skin Deep Motives

Matt Grudge and Leslie Crow, disenchanted private investigators with an affinity for the alternative lifestyle of the nineties, dubbed the Grunge Operatives, probe a murder that hits them where they live and breathe; the killing of the tattoo artist and proprietress of the parlor where their first tats were inked. Face to face with sadistic captors who will stop at nothing to ensure their underground agenda remains secret, Matt is forced to sort out his discoveries before his interrogators learn he's merely a loose end to eliminate. Confronting the suicidal guilt over the victim she knew on intimate terms, her repressed emotions and feral instincts on a countdown to vengeance, Leslie struggles to untangle an international link to the crime. Meanwhile, Matt protects a seductive witness with a stranglehold on his heart, which leads to his capture and unmerciful interrogation. When their paths converge, the duo unmask a vigilante whose inconsolable wrath will engulf them in a fiery rage.

Matt Grudge and Leslie Crow, disenchanted private investigators with an affinity for the alternative lifestyle of the nineties, dubbed the Grunge Operatives, probe a murder that hits them where they live and breathe; the killing of the tattoo artist and proprietress of the parlor where their first tats were inked. Face to face with sadistic captors who will stop at nothing to ensure their underground agenda remains secret, Matt is forced to sort out his discoveries before his interrogators learn he's merely a loose end to eliminate. Confronting the suicidal guilt over the victim she knew on intimate terms, her repressed emotions and feral instincts on a countdown to vengeance, Leslie struggles to untangle an international link to the crime. Meanwhile, Matt protects a seductive witness with a stranglehold on his heart, which leads to his capture and unmerciful interrogation. When their paths converge, the duo unmask a vigilante whose inconsolable wrath will engulf them in a fiery rage.

A Portland native, Aaron Hilton has worked at a video store, in a mail room, accounts payable, security, and for the last fifteen years, as an alarm control operator. At least two of the alarms he’s processed have led to felony arrests. He frequently hangs out in the basement at the Green Beans Coffee and Tea shop, listening to loud alternative or film scores with earbuds while banging the keys. His favorite authors are: Mickey Spillane, Max Allan Collins, Greg Rucka, and Christa Faust. He enjoys film noir, pin-ups, scary movies, sequential art, and strong coffee. At the same time he began writing this story, Aaron went vegan to reclaim control of his health. Skin Deep Motives is his first hardboiled novella. He is currently working on the first novel in the Alternative Investigations series, The Grunge Operatives.