An American Killing - Softcover

Praise for AN AMERICAN KILLING by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith

'There are many good things in Mary-Ann Tirone Smith's An American Killing... the pace and the writing are good, and it is an enjoyable read' Sunday Times

'This is a clever, literate novel... and it's all the more gripping for its taut plotting' Sunday Telegraph

'This is not a rapid-fire thriller. Refusing to cut to the chase, Smith paces herself perfectly and takes the time to ferret beneath the surface of character and incident... The reader can't help but be torn between racing ahead to discover the denouement and slowing down to enjoy the company of a host of superbly drawn characters who find themselves on surprisingly intimate terms with evil. According to Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, most of us are' New York Times Book Review

'Tirone Smith is doing something of a magic act here, using plenty of the elements that keep the hoi polloi turning the pages but at the same time keeping the more sophisticated readers focused on the book's real stuff...

'But that's not all that keeps this thriller on a higher plane. There's also Tirone Smith's crisp, clean style, her ear for snappy patter and the comic insights she gives us...

'The book's final revelations are good ones, well worth waiting for... This and the sauce that we get on the side - the scandal, gossip, skulduggery, wit, and even the make-over of a small-town librarian - make An American Killing plenty potent.' Washington Post

'Fuelled by ''pathologically cynical'' narrator Denise's sarcastic quips, the plot zips along at a brisk pace... Smith's witty, intelligent take on the links between high-level politics and sophisticated crime has the ring of truth and the zest of a real page-turner' Publishers Weekly

'The roller-coaster read to the final shockingly unexpected denouement is guaranteed to keep even the most jaded thriller fan awake to the final page' The Citizen (South Africa)

Two years ago in the town of New Caxton, three people were stabbed to death and a black man imprisoned for the crime. According to congressman Owen Hall, the convicted man is innocent. Something sinister has been going on in New Caxton, something much bigger than casual murder.