South Village

Ash McKenna used to be an amateur P.I.--emphasis on 'amateur'. Despite good intentions, he made a mess of his life in New York, so tried to build a new one in Portland. But after a traumatic turn of events, he ends up on a commune in the Georgia woods, binge-drinking cheap whiskey and waiting for his passport to flee the country and nightmares that have followed him. Then a man is found dead. Known only as 'Crusty Pete', the commune dweller is sprawled in the dirt, having fallen from a high rope bridge. It's written off as an accident, but Ash suspects something more sinister. As he looks into Pete's death, Ash is shocked to find the supposedly peaceful community houses a rogue faction preparing to commit an unspeakable act of violence. Ash has to make a choice: run, or put his skills to use and try to stop them. But he doesn't know who to trust, or where the faction is planning to strike. As he struggles to put a stop to the violence, while keeping his own demons at bay, Ash finds that it's only a matter of time before one or the other puts him down for good.
Review:
Lively...The story zigs and zags and then heads off in yet another direction, keeping one step ahead of the reader until it ends up in an unexpected but satisfying spot. --Publishers Weekly The results are by turns loopy, action-packed, droll, and believable. --Kirkus Reviews Praise for CITY OF ROSE CITY OF ROSE has my favorite kind of hero, a tough guy romantic with a smart mouth and a dark past. Terrifically written, and populated with rich characters, this book had me by the throat from page one. --Chelsea Cain, New York Times bestselling author of ONE KICK and HEARTSICK Brilliant...CITY OF ROSE, Rob Hart's latest Ash McKenna novel, is as sharp as the devil himself. Hart is a master storyteller who can turn a city into just as vital as any flesh and blood character. --Brian Panowich, author of BULL MOUNTAIN Well executed and strikes an appealing balance, rough without being sadistic, gritty without being sordid. ...an engaging read...characterized by Hart's quick and witty turns of phrase. --Kirkus Reviews Appealing...readers will enjoy (Hart's) playful, jaded hero and twisty plot. --Publishers Weekly CITY OF ROSE is briskly told, and Ash's arch, loopy narration is often very funny. It's been a good season for thrillers with a touch of comedy. --Booklist CITY OF ROSE is as good as hoped...the sharp voice covers -- barely -- the raw emotion roiling within Ash as he searches for a friend's missing girl, learning parts of Portland he'd rather not see because in fact, he knows the violence within them all too well. --Sarah Weinman, editor of WOMEN CRIME WRITERS and TROUBLED DAUGHTERS, TWISTED WIVES Praise for NEW YORKED The New York of NEW YORKED is a place of heartbreak and murder that I highly recommend you visit. --Josh Bazell, author of BEAT THE REAPER Outstanding...I loved this novel. It may be the most quixotic hard-boiled I've read in ages. With clever nods to Chandler and lots of muscular metaphors, Hart has written an achingly lovely farewell to one man's past. --Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Hart's debut is a terse, grim, gritty, quickly moving noir that deftly explores post-9/11 New York...Ash is a wrecking ball of an investigator, a direct descendant of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. --Mystery Scene Edgy... relentless pacing and strong sense of place. --Publishers Weekly There are good action scenes, nice offbeat characters, but what lingers is the swoony dialogue... Noir with a tingle of doomed but sweet romance. --Booklist A bloody valentine to a New York fast disappearing, this debut is an urban noir populated with memorable characters. --Library Journal A hard-boiled crime novelist in the vein of greats like Dashiell Hammett and James M. Cain, not to mention modern masters like Lawrence Block and Dennis Lehane. --Staten Island Advance The literary version of THE WARRIORS. --Lyndsay Faye, author of THE GODS OF GOTHAM One part Dennis Lehane, one part Lee Child, and one part pure Rob Hart. --Jenny Milchman, author of COVER OF SNOW and RUIN FALLS Wi