2 BY PETER LEONARD

A couple this week from Peter Leonard. Leonard has seven novels to his name to date, so only about another 50-odd before he overtakes his late dad, Elmore!

I've read two of the seven so far and enjoyed them both - Voices of the Dead and Back From the Dead.

His full bibliography is as follows:

Voices of the Dead Series
1. Voices of the Dead (2012)
2. Back from the Dead (2013)

Novels
Quiver (2008)
Trust Me (2009)
All He Saw Was The Girl (2011)
Eyes Closed Tight (2014)
Unknown Remains (2016)
Raylan Goes to Detroit (2018)

I'll be interested in seeing what his next book is like as its a continuation of the character created by his father and seen in the enjoyable TV series Justified - Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens.

Quiver (2008)

One of the most riveting and powerful new voices in crime fiction, Peter Leonard delivers a razor-sharp debut thriller.

Kate McCall's husband has been killed by her son, Luke, in a tragic bow-hunting accident. While Kate struggles with her son's surly guilt, her first love, Jack, an ex-con, reappears, along with a crew of his former "colleagues." While Jack must convince his partners in crime that he really did lose the heist money, his appearance sets into motion a series of events culminating in a life-and-death confrontation with a gang of killers.

Leonard displays remarkable maturity for a first-time novelist in both the plotting of the story and the language of his protagonists. The twists and turns of a love affair, an unrequited crush, and a kidnapping/extortion plot complement a tightly drawn, intimate cast of memorably quick and dim-witted characters.

Quiver marks the breakthrough of a new force in thriller writing---an explosive and unforgettable debut.


Trust Me (2009)

Peter Leonard showed remarkable maturity for a first-time novelist in Quiver, his debut novel. In Trust Me, he reaches for new heights as he crafts a classic noir thriller loaded with double- and triplecrosses. The first mistake Karen Delaney made was entrusting $300,000 to her boyfriend, Samir, the head of an illegal bookmaking operation. The second was breaking up with him because Samir holds a $300,000 grudge. Months later, Karen sees an opportunity when two thieves break into her house in the middle of the night. She proposes a scheme to Samir's safe. But almost immediately Karen realizes she's in over her head as things begin to spin out of control.

Trust Me moves at breakneck speed through the affluent suburbs of Detroit and Chicago as Karen is pursued by O'Clair, an over-the- hill heavy who works for Samir and wants the money for his own retirement; by Ricky, Samir's nephew who sees the money as a way to pay off his own massive gambling debts; by the thieves who've been double-crossed; and by two ruthless hit men who view the money as their stake in the American dream.