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.
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Praise for Books
“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
“An unusual and innovative new thriller…Fifty Grand crackles with tension, surprising the reader again and again until its riveting conclusion.” —BookPage
“The talented McKinty does his usual first-rate job of making you like the characters he likes.” —Kirkus Reviews
“An
abandoned daughter’s search for vengeance in the hit-and-run death of her
father fires this action-filled mystery. Narrator Paula Christensen brings just
enough of a Spanish accent to the feature role of Cuban police detective
Mercado Suraz to be convincing without seeming overdone or forced. Christensen
also masters the necessary variations in pace and intensity while navigating
numerous flashbacks and scene changes. She is less adept, however, at
portraying the male characters, especially at moments of high drama and
emotion. Nonetheless, McKinty and Christensen offer the listener a story filled
with strong characters, situations, and language. Fifty Grand is definitely worth the trip.” —AudioFile
“Adrian McKinty has been blowing us out of the mystery water for quite some time now, but phew-oh, he has totally taken over the whole field with Fifty Grand...It has riveting mystery, politics of just about every shade, and thrills on almost every page...This is going to be the BIG BOOK of 2009.” —Ken Bruen, author of The Guards and Once Were Cops
“McKinty and Christensen offer the listener a story filled with strong characters, situations, and language. Fifty Grand is definitely worth the trip.” —AudioFile
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.
