City of the Sun - Hardcover

Levien, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385523661 ISBN 13: 9780385523660

Publisher: Doubleday, 2008

Synopsis

Riveting suspense in the tradition of Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly, City of the Sun introduces retired detective Frank Behr—an imposing, charismatic former cop who agrees to take the case of a boy who’s been missing for over a year.

Jamie Gabriel gets on his bike before dawn to deliver newspapers in his suburban Indianapolis neighborhood. He is twelve years old. Somewhere en route, as the October sky lightens, he vanishes without a trace.
Fourteen months later, Paul and Carol Gabriel are on the verge of abandoning all hope. Crushed by frustrating dead ends and exhausted by a police force that cannot (or will not) find their son, the Gabriels finally find a ray of hope: the name of an elusive private investigator who may represent their last chance.
Frank Behr is an enigmatic mountain of a man, a former cop who wants to help—but knows better than to give the Gabriels any hope of a happy ending. He has worked this kind of case too often. But Paul’s plea stirs up old personal demons that Behr can no longer ignore. Going against everything he fears, Behr enters into an uneasy partnership with Paul on a quest for the truth that is, in turn, dangerous ... and haunting.
Richly textured and crackling with suspense on every page, City of the Sun weaves a moody narrative that hinges on the bond between a damaged detective and a lost father. From the antiseptic comforts of suburban Indianapolis to the city’s seamy underworld, David Levien introduces a private investigator as complex, idiosyncratic, and sympathetic as any in modern crime fiction. Levien is a gifted storyteller who will keep readers guessing right up until the final, explosive scene.

About this title

Review:

...really hard to break away to deal with the rest of the day...a rare thriller where the outcome is genuinely in doubt'
-- New York Daily News

A writer who takes dead, calculated aim at our deepest fears -- Entertainment Weekly

Hard, mean, beautiful, touching -- a dazzling novel... David Levien has placed himself among the best writers in the field. -- ROBERT CRAIS

One of the toughest, most gut-wrenching, and most believable suspense novels I've ever encountered. If David Levien pulled any punches, I was too dazed to notice. -- LINCOLN CHILD

Relentless suspense that will not let you out of its grasp...you'll forget you're reading fiction. -- HARLAN COBEN

From the Publisher:

This sensational crime novel, the first in the Frank Behr series, will appeal to fans of Harlan Coben and Michael Connelly. David Levien's screen-writing talent (Runaway Jury, Ocean's Thirteen, Rounders...) lends itself beautifully to a fast, furious plot, but it is the emotional power of his writing that gives this novel a haunting extra dimension. David Levien is an exciting new talent. Be one of the first to discover him!

About this edition

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0385523661
• ISBN 13: 9780385523660
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 310