A public war between a governor and a theme park lights the fuse on an explosive story of hate, death, corruption, bigotry, and espionage. This Nostalgia City mystery is a stand-alone political thriller. Lyle Deming finds a body in Nostalgia City’s parking lot during an LGBTQ event. The ex-cop turned theme-park cab driver takes a breath and steps away from the bullet-punctured corpse. Was this a hate crime? Arizona governor Rod Gudgel, running for reelection, calls it a random shooting. He mocks Nostalgia City theme park for its inclusiveness using homophobic and racial slurs. Kate Sorensen, the park’s blonde 6’ 2½” PR director, calls out Gudgel’s insensitivity and prejudice, and the governor plays politics with the park’s permits. When Nostalgia City employees demonstrating at a Gudgel campaign office are killed and injured, Kate joins Lyle in a mad scramble to find the killers and shut up or shut down the governor. Lyle hits blind alleys, then he runs afoul of an armed hate group. At the same time, Kate digs into the governor’s long history of malfeasance, enraging Gudgel allies and attracting the menace of state guardsmen. The governor seems to have armed supporters everywhere. With Lyle’s wry humor and Kate’s unflappability, the story moves quickly as puzzles and subplots multiply and loop together threatening the park, their relationship, and their lives. "A rapid-paced, engrossing thriller." --Kirkus Reviews "His prose is tense, terse, and taut, stretching attention to a hair's breadth of the breaking point.... "Dialogue is crisp, laden with a gently-acidic humor. It's like a better-looking Sam Spade, a more-sober Nick and Nora Charles, an up-to-date All the King's Men.... "For books that make the reader thrill, laugh, and think, go to Nostalgia City. The place is an E-ticket." -- Terrance McArthur Kings River Life "Five Stars. This book addresses racism, sexism, homophobia, and government corruption, but at its core, it's a fast-paced, intriguing mystery." --Goodreads reviewer "With engaging characters, suspenseful situations, culture and human rights issues as well as plenty of political intrigue...I couldn't put it down!" --Indie Express "Mystery, intrigue, a fast-paced read full of clues and mis-direction...Plenty of secrets that were slowly revealed...Keeps you wanting to read on for the next zinger. You get more than you expect." --The Texas Book Nook "This had everything you could want for an enjoyable read and it really delivered." --On a Reading Bender "First and foremost, Mark S. Bacon has a great writing style. [His] in depth descriptions made me feel like I was present in the story." --Novel News Network "I have thoroughly enjoyed every book in this series. Bacon's Nostalgia City 1970's theme park setting is a microcosm of today's world. I'm drawn to the fascinating characters, fluid writing, wry humor, and timely plots. Underneath Nostalgia City's joy-filled attractions is a dark side, and The Woke and the Dead has it all—corrupt bad guys, terrifying twists and turns, and close calls that kept me turning pages. I highly recommend! Linda Townsdin, author, Time-lapse on Murder and the Spirit Lake mystery series Mark S. Bacon began his career as a Southern California newspaper police reporter, one of his crime stories becoming key evidence in a murder case that spanned decades. After writing for two newspapers, he moved to marketing and public relations, including a job as copywriter for Knott's Berry Farm, the big theme park down the freeway from Disneyland. That experience formed part of the inspiration for his creation of Nostalgia City theme park. Before turning to fiction, Bacon wrote business books, one of which was printed in four languages and three editions, named best business book of the year by Library Journal , and selected by the Book of the Month Club and two other clubs. His articles have appeared in the Washington Post , Cleveland Plain Dealer , San Antonio Express News , The Denver Post, Orange Coast and many other publications.  Most recently he was a correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle . The Woke and the Dead is the fifth book in the Nostalgia City mystery series that began with Death in Nostalgia City. The first book was recommended by the American Library Association, and Desert Kill Switch, the second book in the series, received the top fiction award at the 2018 Great Southwest Book Festival.