Grinder

From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Razor-edged prose and a sympathetic antihero lift Knowles's no-holds-barred crime thriller, the sequel to Darwin's Nightmare (2008), which introduced the mob enforcer known only as Wilson. Wilson has left behind the person he was in Hamilton, Ont., where he worked for mob boss Paolo Donati. He's found a new life on Prince Edward Island as a hired hand on a fishing boat. Unfortunately, after Wilson's attempt to aid a dying politician results in his photo being splashed across Canadian front pages, Donati sends a thug to find him. Though Wilson is easily able to dispatch his tracker, he realizes he can't further endanger the people he has come to care for in his new community. He returns to Hamilton to locate those responsible for the disappearance of Donati's nephews. While not for those uncomfortable with gore, readers who like their mean streets really mean will be thoroughly satisfied. (Oct.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"Razor-edged prose and a sympathetic antihero lift Knowles's no-holds-barred crime thriller."  —Publishers Weekly, starred review"Verdict: Knowles combines nonstop action with gritty violence to hold the reader's attention. For fans of hard-boiled mysteries."  —Library Journal"With lots of action and tension and plenty of dialogue, Wilson's story moves along rapidly as he struggles to cut his ties to the past."  —Booklist"This is a good first novel, particularly as a counterweight to the often flaccid mysteries this country produces. Crime fans will enjoy the book and should watch for [Knowles'] next offering."  —Driven Magazine"The action is hard and raw and savage, and the characters are about as deliciously nasty as you'd expect."  —January Magazine"[Knowles] is a good atmospheric writer and he has the lingo down."  —Globe & Mail"Grinder displays some nascent storytelling chops and a viable future for the Hamilton schoolteacher."  —Winnipeg Free Press"The action is straight, hard, and fast, and the characters are as sharply etched as this stuff gets."  —Mystery Scene