Kurt Argento: Book 3
Publication Date: October 27, 2026
Argento finds himself shielding a teenage boy caught up in a manhunt in this explosive installment of the Kurt Argento series, from USA Today bestselling author, Adam Plantinga.
After the bloodshed in Fenton, Arizona, former Detroit cop Kurt Argento had to disappear. He reemerges in the small town of Barton, South Dakota, working under an assumed name as a church handyman. It’s a serene existence of tending to the church grounds and avoiding questions. Until he meets seventeen-year-old Majed, a Syrian refugee trying to build a life in Barton with his single mother, as he’s running for his life.
Two men with hard eyes are close behind. Argento steps in, and Majed’s pursuers retreat with a thin excuse about a stolen wallet. It’s a story Argento doesn’t buy for a second. Digging deeper, he uncovers something far more lethal than a street-level shakedown. Majed isn’t just in trouble—he’s a target. And the hunters are closing in.
To safeguard Majed, Argento hits the road with the boy, pushing west. And along the way it becomes clear that whatever Majed knows—or carries—someone powerful wants it and will kill to get it. But Argento can’t let that happen. Because he’s made a promise. Protect the boy. Or die trying.
In Adam Plantinga’s brutally visceral Dark Country, ex-Detroit cop Kurt Argento is trying to keep his head down in South Dakota when trouble finds him in the form of an earnest Syrian high school student on the run.
In the third installment of this addictive series, Kurt works as a handyman at a Lutheran church in Barton, South Dakota, under the name Joe Brookens. After his latest run-in in Fenton, Arizona, he hopes to lie low and find some peace after his recent violent encounters. While mowing the church lawn, he sees two men chasing a Middle Eastern teenager across his path. Kurt intervenes, putting a stop to the pursuit in his usual Argento-like fashion. When he learns that the boy is Majed Bakir, Kurt recognizes him and his mother, Nadia, as fellow members of Calvary Lutheran Church. The two are Syrian refugees, and Kurt directs them to the safety of Reverend McCoyer’s home until the threat to Majed can be assessed.
When an attempted kidnapping turns into murder, Kurt takes Majed on a cross-country journey to California, where they hope to find refuge with Majed’s long-lost uncle. Kurt is no stranger to violence, but Majed—a straight-A student and high-school track runner—is. With his world turned upside down, Majed must learn the basic street skills necessary to survive, and Kurt is just the man to teach him.
Meanwhile, a wealthy man in Barton and his hapless lawyer-lackey, Harold Visser, double down on their efforts to find Majed and bring him back. Kurt and Majed have no idea why they want him, but now a diabolical pair of contract killers and torturers, Chelsey and Eugene, are on their trail—and they have the tools to track the fugitives’ every move. And remove skin and body parts, piece by piece.
Buckle up, readers, because this is one nitro-fueled, Argento-esque ride-or-die thriller.
Plantinga is fast establishing himself as one of the most compelling new voices in thriller fiction, and Kurt Argento is a hero with decidedly antihero tendencies, fueled by an inexhaustible well of grief and loneliness. A widower since his wife, Emily, died of cancer, Argento drifts from town to town under assumed identities, perpetually evading the authorities. Fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher will recognize the familiar strong, silent archetype, but Argento comes with a wickedly dark Detroit sense of humor and a healthy dose of fatalism.
The story is a nail-biting ride as Kurt and Majed’s road trip takes increasingly bloody turns and the body count climbs. What makes Majed such a dangerous target, and will they uncover the reason he is being hunted? More importantly, can Kurt save a young man’s future without sacrificing his own? Plantinga delivers the goods with brutal hand-to-hand combat, explosive shootouts, and high-octane car chases, all underscored by an insider’s understanding of law enforcement. (In addition to being a novelist, Plantinga is a full-time police officer in San Francisco.)
The plot is smart, taut, and relentlessly compelling, concealing the motive behind Majed’s pursuit until the final act. Argento devotees will hardly be surprised by the brutality, but more sensitive readers should take note: Dark Country comes loaded with bloodshed. Consider yourself warned.
Plantinga remains one of the most addictive thriller writers working today, and Dark Country is another winner. With Kurt Argento hitting the road to find justice for an innocent teenager, this is a bloody, breakneck ride that never lets up.
Adam Plantinga’s first book, 400 Things Cops Know, was nominated for an Agatha and a Macavity Award and was hailed as “the new Bible for crime writers” by The Wall Street Journal. The Ascent, a USA Today bestseller, was his fiction debut. The follow-up, Hard Town, was nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Novel. Plantinga is a sergeant with the San Francisco Police Department assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children unit. He lives in the SF Bay Area with his wife, children, and dog named Ziggy.
