Former pro wrestler "Hammerhead" Jed Ounstead, now a fully-fledged private investigator, is riding high after his first successful case. In this second episode, Jed leaves the wrestling realm to enter a new arena: women's flat-track roller derby. When old acquaintance Stormy Daze seeks his help finding her team's missing coach, Jed discovers that the turnbuckle-and-metal-chair mayhem of the wrestling ring pales in comparison to roller derby's four-wheeled ferocity.

As his search intensifies, Jed is drawn into the criminal orbit of a shady entrepreneur who doubles as a late-night TV personality, a high-class bookmaker with a yen for racing dachshunds, and a kinky painter with a special technique for producing art. When the thunder rolls, Jed finds he needs more than a few of his beloved banana milkshakes to solve this case.

Rolling Thunder continues A.J. Devlin's hard-hitting, award-winning mystery series with its unbeatable one-two punch of over-the-top-rope humour and elbow-to-the-face adventure.

A.J. Devlin grew up in Greater Vancouver before moving to Southern California where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from Chapman University and a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from The American Film Institute. After working as a screenwriter in Hollywood, he moved back home to Port Moody, BC, where he now lives with his family.Cobra Clutch, the first book in the "Hammerhead" Jed professional wrestling mystery-comedy series, was released in spring 2018 and nominated for a Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery and won the 2019 Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.The highly acclaimed sequel, Rolling Thunder, was released in spring 2020 and featured in the Vancouver Sun, The Province, The Globe and Mail, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal Reviews, Mystery Tribune Magazine, Punk Noir Magazine, CrimeFictionLover.com, and on CBC Radio's The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers. The third book in the series, Five Moves of Doom, was published in September 2022 by NeWest Press and featured on The House of Mystery Radio Show on NBC. It won the 2022 Crime Fiction Lover Editor's Choice Award for Best Indie Crime Novel, was selected by The Globe and Mail as one of the Best Books of 2022, nominated for the 2023 Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery, and shortlisted for the 2023 Crime Writers of Canada Howard Engel Award of Excellence for Best Novel Set in Canada.

A.J. Devlin's profile page

Praise for Rolling Thunder:
"Devlin’s comic caper has a goofy charm and action aplenty."
~Kirkus Reviews
"The follow-up to the Arthur Ellis Award–winning Cobra Clutch is another action-packed violent mystery.... readers of the first book will enjoy the humor and outrageous antics."
~Lesa Holstine, Library Journal
"Rolling Thunder, with its captivating and twisty plot and hilarious characters, is a great pick for fans of private eye novels and readers of novels by Sam Wiebe, Carl Hiassen, and Janet Evanovich."
~ Mystery Tribune
"Devlin utilizes a gut-punch at the end of each chapter. He does this deliciously, so that every chapter starts with a pit in your stomach followed by a smile on your face for the flavour of what’s to come. Devlin’s work is reminiscent of pulp-fiction—fast-paced thrilling stories with bright covers that are as easy to consume as a DQ banana milkshake, but with a spoonful of modern-day grit."
~ Caileigh Broatch, The Ormsby Review
“Professional wrestler-turned-PI ‘Hammerhead’ Jed is back, and not a moment too soon—trouble is brewing in the Greater Vancouver area on the roller derby circuit. Rolling Thunder is sheer fun. The dialogue is snappy, the action fast-paced. A.J. Devlin is the Canadian Carl Hiaasen. In fact, America will trade you Carl Hiaasen for him. I feel that strongly about this kid’s future.”
~ The New York Times bestselling author Andrew Shaffer
"Rolling Thunderhas everything! Action, humour, mystery, and most importantly pro wrestling. I’m totally invested. Can’t wait for the next one!"
~ Cat Power, pro wrestler and former ECCW Women’s Champion
“A.J. Devlin’s latest crime novel packs a punch with nonstop action! His witty, entertaining style hooked me quicker than a figure-4 leglock and pinned me to the pages.
“‘Hammerhead’ Jed’s colourful stable of heels and babyfaces create a suspenseful, romantic, comedic vice. Very entertaining! His rock-star persona makes him the ultimate chick magnet. His story takes me back to my four seasons at The Riviera hotel in Las Vegas with the Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling and the words of my trainer, the legendary pro wrestler Mondo Guerrero, come to mind—‘No guts, no glory.’
“Rolling Thunder is a must read for everyone who is a fan of sports, wrestling, suspense … or all three!”
~ Jeanne “Hollywood” Basone, the first G.L.O.W. girl hired by creator David McLane
“Award-winning author A.J. Devlin hip-checks the reader from one captivating clue to the next in this gripping crime novel. Rolling Thunder is a laugh-out-loud mystery with unique and hilarious characters, and a realistic peek at the hard-hitting, counter-culture sport of women’s roller derby.”
~ Jenna Hauck — aka Hydro-Jenna Bomb — Former Terminal City Rollergirls skater / Multimedia Journalist with the Chilliwack Progress
“A.J. Devlin scores again as he sends ‘Hammerhead’ Jed on another no-holds-barred romp through the dark underbelly of Metro Vancouver. Brilliantly done.”
~ Bob Harris, writer, promoter, and archivist of pro wrestling vintage memorabilia
"A clever braiding of suspense and comedy, wildly memorable characters, and main-event-worthy plot, Rolling Thunder has cemented Devlin's unique niche in the realm of crime fiction. This book was made to be devoured.”
~ Niall Howell, author of Only Pretty Damned