Description
Meet Jonah Geller
Toronto investigator Jonah Geller is at a low point in his life. A careless mistake on his last case left him with a bullet in his arm, a busted relationship and a spot in his boss’s doghouse. Then he comes home to find notorious contract killer Dante Ryan in his apartment — not to kill him for butting into mob business, as Jonah fears, but to plead for Jonah’s help.
Ryan has been ordered to wipe out an entire Toronto family, including a five-year-old boy. With a son of his own that age, Ryan can’t bring himself to do it. He challenges Jonah to find out who ordered the hit. With help from his friend Jenn, Jonah investigates the boy’s father — a pharmacist who seems to lead a good life — and soon finds himself ducking bullets and dodging blades from all directions. When the case takes Jonah and Ryan over the river to Buffalo, where good clean Canadian pills are worth their weight in gold, their unseen enemies move in for the kill.
Winner, Arthur Ellis Award*, Best First Novel of 2008
“A great debut novel. The plot is tight, the characters engaging, and this one even has a believable – and sympathetic – bad guy. A terrific opening to what is certainly going to be a fine series.” — Margaret Cannon, Globe and Mail
“The final pages roar with plot twists and devastating consequences. A strong, clear voice with a wry sense of humour….continues the tradition of Robert B. Parker and Robert Crais with a hearty and promising Maple Leaf twist.” — Sarah Weinman, Quill and Quire
“Top-notch, a page-turner to rate with the best of them and with some memorable characters.” — Guelph Mercury
“Blunt action, realistically and graphically described and paced with just enough time to catch your breath before the next sudden eruption. Add the right feel for dialogue, a plot and writing that’s just the ideal temperature for a mystery-thriller and you have Buffalo Jump—a debut novel winner by Howard Shrier….A well-juggled storyline brimming with dry humour…graphic scenes that come alive with action. A must-read for summer.” — Don Graves, Hamilton Spectator, June 14, 2008
“Contains just the right dose of cynicism and dark humour, both of which mark the best of the private-eye novels.” — Kitchener Waterloo Record
“Well-written, smart, keenly observed, often funny and utterly suspenseful.” — Shlomo Schwartzberg, Canadian Jewish News
“Tough-guy action, snappy dialogue, and a flawed protagonist, set against a gritty background. Nicely-paced, the action is interspersed with a strong backstory fleshing out Jonah Geller’s conflicted past and making him both a believable and a sympathetic character. Buffalo Jump is a fine debut novel, and readers will want to keep an eye out for its sequel.” –Jim Napier, Sherbrooke Record
“Complex, funny and always surprising…Shrier nails his first crime novel with the aplomb and impact of a seasoned pro. A completely satisfying read that made me wish Jonah Geller could work cases on my shows.” — René Balcer, Emmy-winning executive producer/head writer of Law & Order, creator of Law & Order: Criminal Intent
“Howard Shrier’s Buffalo Jump jumps right off the page. It’s a barreling freight train of a mystery, and I can’t wait for Jonah Geller’s next case.” — Bestselling author Linwood Barclay
“Shrier’s gritty yet vibrant Toronto makes the perfect backdrop for a crime story that is both thrilling and thoughtful.” — Bestselling author Kelley Armstrong
“Offers funny and fresh takes on the private-eye novel and not-so-funny trips into scary moral territory…packs a tough and thoroughly contemporary punch.” — Peter Rozovsky, Detectives Beyond Borders
“Jonah Geller has a strong and individual voice… He is contemporary, appealing, and fresh in several senses of the word. — Yvonne Klein, Reviewing the Evidence
“Journalist turned actor turned author Howard Shrier has a great new first novel.” — Craig Rintoul, bookbits.ca
*Awarded by the Crime Writers of Canada
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