10 Reasons to read PARIAH

I'm always a bit hesitant to promote Pariah. Not that I'm not proud of the book, but it's a book that is going to upset and mortify the average mystery reader, and is a book that I wrote without any compromise and with no holds barred. When the Boston Globe ran an article after Robert B. Parker's death suggesting that I might be one of the local Boston writers who could be the new face of Boston crime, Pariah was just out and I ended up getting a bunch of angry emails from Parker fans who tried Pariah, with all them swearing they'd never read anything from me again. I can't blame them. If you love Spenser books, you're probably going to despise PARIAH. But if you have the slightest interest in dark crime fiction or noir, you're going to be glad you tried this book--at least that's the reaction I've been getting from noir/crime readers I've been hearing from.

1) "a doozy of a doom-laden crime story" Washington Post's Best Books of 2009

2) "Darkly enjoyable... clear, crisp prose; his fearless portrait of amorality; and his smart plotting" Boston Globe

3) "Following up the critically acclaimed SMALL CRIMES, Dave Zeltserman had to prove that book was not some sort of fluke. PARIAH proves that CRIMES was no fluke, even surpassing that previous novel in leaps and bounds, to the point that Zeltserman should be considered the new king of Boston crime." Bruce Grossman, Bookgasm

4) "Pariah is a terrific blast" Metro (UK)

5) "It's the kind of book that is going to spoil whatever I read next, as it's going to be found wanting compared to this." The Bookbag

6) "I just finished reading Dave's new novel Pariah. It is one of the most crazed, hilarious, bitter, brutal novels this side of those composed on violent wards." Ed Gorman

7) "Zeltserman, writing in the pitch-black comic tradition of Jim Thompson or Charles Willeford, deserves to stand in such exalted company." Chauncey Mabe, Palm Beach Arts Paper

8) "PARIAH IS ALL I KNOW OF BLISS AND LAMENT. BLISS AT READING A SUPERB NOVEL AND LAMENT AT KNOWING THAT DAVE ZELTSERMAN HAS NOW RAISED THE BAR SO HIGH, WE'RE SCREWED." Ken Bruen

9) "Another phenomenal outing for Zeltserman" Thuglit

10) "If the major newspapers and critics have any balls at all, this will be on their top ten lists – and not in some sub-category like “Best Mystery Novel” or some condescending bullshit list like that. This is the real deal, dear readers. Go get yourself a taste." Nerd Of Noir