Standalone

Christopher Chambers is a crime novelist, professor of media studies, lawyer, and International Fellow at International Conflict Resolution Center. His works include the first two installment in the Dickie Cornish mystery series, Scavenger and Standalone (Three Rooms Press); two Penguin Random House releases: A Prayer for Deliverance and Sympathy for the Devil (NAACP Image Award nominee); the graphic anthology (with Gary Phillips) The Darker Mask (Tor Books); the PEN/Malamud-nominated story “Leviathan” and "The Psalm of Bo"; and more. Chambers is a regular commentator and contributor on media and culture issues on SiriusXM Radio, ABC News, and HuffPost. He resides in his hometown of Washington, D.C. with his family and German Shepherd, Max.

High Praise for Standalone“Top 25 Mystery Novels of 2022: After reading this novel, it’s apparent that the modern heir to Chandler, Woolrich, and Cain is Christopher Chambers, enough said.” —The Strand Magazine“Christopher Chambers stunned me with his hard-hitting debut, and now his street-living detective is back to track down a missing girl, who may be just one of a whole bunch of missing children. You can’t get bleaker than Chambers, and that’s certainly a compliment.” —Crime Reads (Most Anticipated Crime Books of Fall 2022)“Chambers makes the smell and harrowing vibe of the mean streets of the nation’s capital come alive. Readers searching for a grittier version of Joe Ide’s Isaiah Quintabe will find him in Cornish.” —Publishers Weekly“In his melding of classic detective fiction with modern day street level scandal Chambers crafts a truly unique and compelling sequel to his best selling book “Scavenger” and in the process creates a truly unique brand of storytelling.” —Independent Streak Podcast / Jesse Ventura’s Die First Then Quit“For those who like their crime served up raw, gritty and grimy . . . Comparisons to George Pelecanos, S.A. Cosby and Andrew Vachss and TV shows like The Wire abound, and this series offer a similar, no-holds-barred, street-level view; is unafraid to point fingers.” —The New Thrilling Detective“Once again Chris Chambers weaves a mesmerizing and timely tale of twists and deceit with his most unique street level gumshoe Dickie Cornish at the center of it all. A well crafted page turner.” —Gary Phillips, author, One-Shot Harry“PIs are only as clean as the streets they walk. In Christopher Chamber’s STANDALONE, Dickie Cornish works the gritty underbelly of DC, and it’s hard to decide who skirts the edges more, Dickie or our corrupt nation’s capital. Earthy, raw, all the way street, STANDALONE’s got a lot to say. Listen up.” —Tracy Clark, author, The Cass Raines Chicago Mystery Series; winner, 2022 Sue Grafton Memorial AwardHigh Praise for previous mystery novels by Christopher Chambers:“Novels written from the perspective of homeless substance users don’t come along every day. When they do, it’s a good idea to pay attention, since they offer a window into the casual cruelty of our social economy, which much fiction eschews. … Like Hammett with San Francisco or Chandler with Los Angeles, Chambers’ mystery is as much about Washington as it is about the amoral monsters who prey on ordinary people and the lone gumshoe who takes them on.” —Washington City Paper“Christopher Chambers brings to life not only an unforgettable character but also the gritty DC streets he inhabits. … A deeply realistic noir mystery with a social conscience.” —Hill Rag Magazine“[A] no-holds-barred crime novel . . . an exciting climax . . . a 21st-century twist on traditional hardboiled noir.” —Publishers Weekly“A voice that is distinctive, expressive, and is unafraid to challenge readers who may find the street patois hard to interpret. That's kind of the point. Dickie Cornish's world is far from most readers' lived experience, and it is his compelling voice and the dialogue of a vast cast of memorable street characters that helps immerse the intrepid armchair traveler in a world that's mostly invisible but just around the corner and down the alley from DC's halls of power.” —Reviewing the Evidence“I just read a really good book by Christopher Chambers called Scavenger, which really nails Washington in the current environment. And he knows the city well.” —George Pelecanos, author, The Man Who Came Uptown“Chambers weaves a fast-moving story that focuses on some of the major issues of the day: immigration, homelessness, police abuse, drug addiction, sex trade, political corruption, wealth disparity, racial injustice. What is so good about this novel is that it helps evolve and elevate the noir genre for anew audience and gives it more urgency.” —Dolores Barclay, former Arts Editor, The Associated Press“Gritty, raw, and lays bare the dirty consequences of political decisions on the lowest rungs of the population. The character comes from darkness to fight through darkness to defeat more powerful darkness… Chambers gives a great thriller-mystery story and dares to embrace different ways of telling it.” —Jay Wilburn, 10 Most Recommended Books this Month