“He is a cross between Mickey Spillane and Damon Runyon—the toughest, the best. Beware of McKinty.” Frank McCourt, New York Times bestselling author
Description
An illegal immigrant is killed in a hit-and-run on a frozen mountain road in the rich Hollywood resort town of Fairview, Colorado. No one is prosecuted for his death, and his case is quietly forgotten.
Six months later, posing as an illegal immigrant and working as a maid in Fairview, Havana police officer Detective Mercado begins to secretly investigate the shadowy collision that left her father dead. Who killed him? Was it one of the smooth-talking Hollywood types or a minion of the terrifying county sheriff? And why was her father, a celebrated defector to the United States, hiding in Colorado as the town ratcatcher?
In Fifty Grand, Adrian McKinty’s live-wire prose crackles with intensity as we follow Mercado through the emotion and violence that lead to a final, shocking confrontation.
Praise
“He is a cross between Mickey Spillane and Damon Runyon—the toughest, the best. Beware of McKinty.” Frank McCourt, New York Times bestselling author
“[McKinty is] a master of modern noir, up there with Dennis Lehane and James Ellroy…Fifty Grand is a blast: a standalone effort which again showcases McKinty’s brutal lyricism as well as his sensitivity to the indignities of the immigrant experience.” Guardian (London)
“Violence, a tightly wound plot, and suspense that leaves the heart pounding combine for a thrilling first-person story. The violence level is high, so this isn’t a book for everyone. The plot is complicated with real surprises, and the detective reacts to the violence she has to inflict to get what she wants with reservations, yet it’s possible to see what the brutality does to her psyche. All in all, a riveting book.” RT Book Reviews (4½ stars)
“An intelligent novel of suspense about cultural identity…In trademark fashion, McKinty winds up his provocative tale with a violent and memorable final act.” Publishers Weekly
“McKinty tightens the screws on his heroine effectively, forcing her into a classic noir conundrum from which there appears to be no escape. An impeccably constructed thriller supported by a cast of finely rounded, Elmore Leonard–like characters.” Booklist
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Apr 27, 2009 |
| Release Date | April 28, 2009 |
| Release Date Machine | 1240876800 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, Women Sleuths, New Additions, New Additions, Fiction - All, Fiction - Adult |
Author Bio
Adrian McKinty was born and grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during the Troubles. His father was a welder in Harland and Wolff—the shipyard where they built the Titanic; his mother was a school lunch lady and secretary. Adrian went to Oxford University on a full scholarship where he studied philosophy.
Emigrating first to America and then Australia he found work as a door-to-door salesman, a driver, a bookstore clerk, a barman, a high school English teacher, and a semipro rugby player.
His debut crime novel, Dead I Well May Be, was shortlisted for the 2004 Dagger Award and was optioned by Universal Pictures. He is the author of more than a dozen crime novels that have been translated into over forty languages. He has won the Edgar Award, the Anthony Award, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, the Barry Award, the Macavity Award, the International Thriller Writers Award, and is a three-time winner of the Ned Kelly Award.
His 2020 novel The Chain was a New York Times bestseller and appeared on twenty-five best-of-the-year lists. His 2022 novel The Island was an instant New York Times bestseller and made five best-of-the-year lists including those of the London Times and the New York Times.
Adrian is a member of the Linnean Society and the National Audubon Society. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.
Narrator Bio
Paula Christensen was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and raised in the suburbs of New York City. She studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Michael Howard Studios in New York City, and the Antaeus Company. Christensen is a graduate of Amherst College, where she received her BA with honors in theater, dance, and anthropology. She currently resides in Los Angeles, where she teaches dance and continues to work on both stage and screen.
Overview
An illegal immigrant is killed in a hit-and-run on a frozen mountain road in the rich Hollywood resort town of Fairview, Colorado. No one is prosecuted for his death, and his case is quietly forgotten.
Six months later, posing as an illegal immigrant and working as a maid in Fairview, Havana police officer Detective Mercado begins to secretly investigate the shadowy collision that left her father dead. Who killed him? Was it one of the smooth-talking Hollywood types or a minion of the terrifying county sheriff? And why was her father, a celebrated defector to the United States, hiding in Colorado as the town ratcatcher?
In Fifty Grand, Adrian McKinty’s live-wire prose crackles with intensity as we follow Mercado through the emotion and violence that lead to a final, shocking confrontation.