A missing brother, lost at sea. A double-dealing politician playing fast and loose. A ruthless Asian crime lord preying on the New World. A wronged woman, out for justice.

These are some of the characters that populate Thin Slice of Life, the new novel by Texas author Miles Arceneaux. A comic novel of suspense set on the Texas Gulf Coast, Thin Slice of Life blends mystery, humor, passion and a bone-deep sense of place to yield a fast-paced portrait of a unique place and time, populated by memorable characters on both sides of the law.

Miles Arceneaux is the pen name of Texas-born writers — and friends — Brent Douglass, John T. Davis and James R. Dennis, who began the novel as a lark many years ago.