The Contract: A John Q Thriller (A John Q mystery) - Softcover

Gulvin, JM

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0571323812 ISBN 13: 9780571323814

Publisher: Faber & Faber, 2017

Synopsis

In New Orleans, Texas Ranger John Q is out of his jurisdiction, and possibly out of his depth. It seems everyone in Louisiana wants to send him home, and every time he asks questions there's trouble: from the pharmacist to the detective running scared to the pimp who turned to him as a last resort. Before John Q knows it, he looks the only link between a series of murders.

So who could be trying to set him up, and why, and who can he turn to in a city where Southern tradition and family ties rule?

Infused with the rhythms of its iconic setting, The Contract is a thriller to keep even the most seasoned crime readers gripped and guessing all the way to its endgame.

About this title

Review:

Ambitious . the characters are finely drawn, as is the underlying racial and social tension that was undoubtedly a feature in the American South in the 1960s and is never far from the surface of the narrative, giving a compelling, disturbing relevance to the story . Gulvin hits bullseye on plot, characters and style. His writing is pared-down yet atmospheric, with echoes of Elmore Leonard and even Cormac McCarthy. Source: Thriller Books Journal

John Quarrie, a sergeant with the Texas Rangers . is a fearsome shot with a pistol, intelligent and resourceful, and with a great deal of resilience. He's definitely 'old school' and with some of the ease in his surroundings you see in Elmore Leonard's heroes . The sense of time and place propels the story well beyond a simple tale of a Texas Ranger, and the final pages are truly chilling. Source: Crime Review

A noir thriller with some terrific descriptive prose that brings the vagaries of that time to vivid life . addictive. Source: Liz Loves Books

I would recommend this slice of 'Americana' to any reader of modern crime fiction . combines elements of a conspiracy thriller with a pinch of police procedural .a quality thriller. Source: Nudge New Books

The Contract has such a fine sense of time and place it's hard to believe JM Gulvin didn't grow up in this day and age ...[will] very much appeal to fans of James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux books... the second in what I hope will be a very long and successful series. Source: Crime Worm

A compelling read ... original and engaging. Source: Never Imitate

John Quarrie, is a great lead character - cool under pressure, a sharp shooter... The Contract is written with perfect pacing and tone for the deep South setting and the author has perfectly captured that feeling of 1960's life ... a wonderful tale with conspiracy, murder and corruption. Source: Grab This Book

The landscape is deeply intertwined with the action and the setting is evoked with style and bullseye precision. Source: The Book Trail

A masterful thriller . confident, complex, exquisitely written and expertly researched. The culture, the time, the people, and the history are impeccably drawn, and the superb plot gathers steam, driven by a nail-biting tension, to an explosive conclusion . Outstanding. Source: Orenda Books

John Q is a brilliant construct, oozing masculinity and toughness in a highly self-contained way, and like the heroes of the American Western tradition, imbued with a rigid core of morality and decency that permeates his dealing with those that have sinned and are sinned against. Source: Raven Crime Reads

Book Description:

A string of murders. A missing blues singer. A leaky DA's office. Cops and pimps in each other's pockets.

About this edition

• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0571323812
• ISBN 13: 9780571323814
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336