Dark and, at times, amusing fiction from award-winning author Dave Zeltserman

Monday, May 3, 2010

Killer Reviews


Killer is now available in bookstores everywhere, and here are some of the killer reviews it has racked up so far:

"Spare prose and assured pacing place this above most other contemporary noirs." Publisher's Weekly

"With graphic imagery and exciting twists, this novel is impossible to put down and has a surprising ending. A brilliant read." Aberdeen Press & Journal

"This novel is everything hard-boiled fiction should be - compact, direct and disciplined, and concerned with humans rather than stereotypes. It is also, for all its violent subject matter, a quietly told story, which makes its tension all the more intense" Mat Coward, Morning Star

"Finishing off his men-out-of-prison trilogy, Dave Zeltserman delivers KILLER, which does nothing else but prove to readers that he is truly the king of Boston crime. This is not some overwrought, long-winded attempt at noir, but streamlined, punch-to-the-gut writing.... His style is one of the best among crime writers going today. So far, the two other books of this trilogy have made many best-of lists, and — guess what? — this will be his hat trick. I can’t think of another writer I’m more excited to see another book come from than Zeltserman" Bookgasm

"Killer is a major novel of crime." Ed Gorman

"KILLER is the final installment of Zeltserman's "man-out-of-prison" series. SMALL CRIMES and PARIAH take some beating, but KILLER is superb. When once-upon-a-time hit-man, Leonard March, is freed from prison, he's like an old, de-fanged wolf, battle scarred and shunned by the pack. Zeltserman, in this meditation on the mind of a killer, expertly weaves together two time frames: Leonard now, and Leonard in his bloody heyday. KILLER is a measured, compelling, character study that manages to be at once terrifying and strangely moving, as Leonard struggles withalienation, loneliness, and old ghosts. But don't be lulled into expecting a Hollywood ending to this story: this is vintage Zeltserman, and that means there's always a tail. With a sting. Be warned." Roger Smith

"Dave Zeltserman's Killer is simply one of the best crime novels I've read. Not in a long time, not in ages, not this year, but ever." Juri Nummelin, Pulpetti

"This excellent tale moves along at a great pace as March tries to redefine himself after prison and reconnect with his children. The chapters alternate between present day and flashbacks to his days as a hitman. There are twist and turns in this novel that will keep you guessing until the last page. If crime fiction is at all for you, you should check this book out because Zeltserman is a new master." 410Media

"In a Nutshell: Superbly written with a real twist in the tale, Killer is a novel which will appeal to lovers of crime fiction and the general readers alike. As a reader who usually ‘crosses the road’ to get away from crime fiction, Zeltserman has single-handedly convinced me that I should rethink my long-established custom of shying away from the genre." RobAroundBooks

"To put it simply, Killer is a brilliant character study that will rip the literary rug right out from under the reader's tightly-curled toes." Corey Wilde, The Drowning Pool"Here at the Bookbag, we've been very impressed with Dave Zeltserman's work thus far. He uses a wonderful noirish narrative that takes you straight to the heart of the story. His story telling is very straightforward, not weighing down the story with too much style, but sticking to the substance and delivering a hard-hitting work every time. With Killer, he has done the same again." Iain Wear, thebookgag.co.uk

"The whole book is told in tightly controlled prose that's perfectly suited to the subject matter. Killer is another bang-up job from Zeltserman, and a noir novel in the grand tradition. Don't miss it." Bill Crider

"Highly recommended ... Zeltserman’s choices and the way he links them feel exactly right. He times the revelations and the peeling away of the past to enhance events happening in the present." NextRead

"Read the book, amici. It’s a very good one that will rock you in the last few pages." Charlie Stella

"Right off the bat let me tell you that Killer is the best of the ‘Man out of prison’ trilogy. Don’t get me wrong, the casual psychopathic meanderings of Joe Denton in Small Crimes was a sinister treat and the over the top violence and subtle social satire of Pariah was out-and-out brilliant. But with Leonard March, Zeltserman has found a wholly empathic narrator. Readers will connect with March and feel for his struggle to assimilate into a society that he was never really apart of and will be enthralled with how Zeltserman craftily alternates the story lines between March’s dismal present and the chapters which detail his evolution as a hired killer." Spinetingler Magazine

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