A Quiet Vendetta
Published on 1. September 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
528 pages
978-0-7528-7740-2 (ISBN)
Description
An epic novel of gangland intrigue from 'one of crime fiction's new stars' [Sunday Telegraph]
When Catherine Ducane disappears in the heart of New Orleans, the local cops react rapidly - she is the daughter of the Governor of Louisiana after all. But the case gets very strange, very quickly. Her bodyguard turns up horribly mutilated in the trunk of a beautiful vintage car and when her kidnapper calls he doesn't want money: he wants time alone with Ray Hartmann, who works for a Washington-based organised crime task force.
All Ray wants to do is get this over with quickly, and go home to try and repair his broken marriage. Instead he must listen to the mysterious kidnapper, an elderly Cuban named Ernesto Perez, who wants to tell him his life story. It's only when he realises that Ernesto has been a brutal hitman for the Mob since the 1950s that things start to come together. But by the time the pieces fall into place, it's already too late...
When Catherine Ducane disappears in the heart of New Orleans, the local cops react rapidly - she is the daughter of the Governor of Louisiana after all. But the case gets very strange, very quickly. Her bodyguard turns up horribly mutilated in the trunk of a beautiful vintage car and when her kidnapper calls he doesn't want money: he wants time alone with Ray Hartmann, who works for a Washington-based organised crime task force.
All Ray wants to do is get this over with quickly, and go home to try and repair his broken marriage. Instead he must listen to the mysterious kidnapper, an elderly Cuban named Ernesto Perez, who wants to tell him his life story. It's only when he realises that Ernesto has been a brutal hitman for the Mob since the 1950s that things start to come together. But by the time the pieces fall into place, it's already too late...
Reviews / Votes
May well be the best Mafia novel since The Godfather, it's one damn fine book and should be highly recommended to all but the coziest of crime-fiction fans. -- Elliott Swanson * Booklist USA * Beautifully written, this is a novel to get lost in, a novel to savor and one that is a long ride into the darkness, and if you recall reading Mario Puzo's The Godfather as a teenager [as I did], then this powerful book will make you relive that memory - Masterful but beware of the brutality, because it comes out of the most literate prose I have read for many years. -- Ali Karim * SHOTS * Ellory got his thriller writing off to a good start with Candlemoth and followed up tidily with Ghostheart. This book, though, should propel him right up there to battle it out with the big boys ... a satisfying puzzler, and you'll be turning the pages at a brisk rate. * LADSMAG * With exquisite pace and perfect timing, Ellory has given us a piercing assessment of the nature of love, loyalty and obsessive revenge, not to mention a deep understanding of la cosa nostra. -- Matthew Lewin * GUARDIAN * Ellory's entrancing tale weaves the two storylines together, keeping you turning the pages ... this is one of the best mafia reads since Mario Puzo's Godfather * BIRMINGHAM SUNDAY MERCURY * This is a beautifully written, atmospheric novel that warps effectively between a hugely enjoyable thriller and an authentic recreation of the claustrophobic Mob world of brutality and paranoia * TRIBUNE *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 37 mm
Weight
332 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7528-7740-2 (9780752877402)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
R.J. Ellory
A Quiet Vendetta
E-Book
06/2010
Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
€3.99
Available for download
Person
R.J. Ellory is the author of twenty novels published by Orion UK, and his work has been translated into twenty-six languages. He has won sixteen international literary awards including the Quebec Booksellers' Prize, the Livre De Poche Award, the Strand Magazine Novel of The Year, the Mystery Booksellers of America Award, the Inaugural Nouvel Observateur Prize, the Quebec Laureat, the Prix Du Roman Noir, the Plume d'Or for Thriller Internationale 2016, the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year, both the St. Maur and Villeneuve Readers' Prizes, the Balai d'Or 2016, and the Grand Prix des Lecteurs on two occasions. He has been shortlisted for two Barrys, the 813 Trophy, the European Du Point, and five Crime Writers' Association UK awards.
Among other projects, he is the guitarist and vocalist of The Whiskey Poets, and has recently completed the band's third album. His musical compositions have been featured in films and television programmes in more than forty countries. He has four television series and two films in pre-production, and has recently started work on the French film adaptation of A Quiet Belief in Angels.
To find out more visit www.rjellory.com or follow him on X @rjellory
Among other projects, he is the guitarist and vocalist of The Whiskey Poets, and has recently completed the band's third album. His musical compositions have been featured in films and television programmes in more than forty countries. He has four television series and two films in pre-production, and has recently started work on the French film adaptation of A Quiet Belief in Angels.
To find out more visit www.rjellory.com or follow him on X @rjellory