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More books by Stephen Mack Jones
Description
• Winner of the Hammett Prize for Crime Fiction
• Nominated for the 2018 Shamus Award for Best First Private Eye Novel
• Strand Magazine Critics Awards Best First Novel Nominee
• A 2018 Michigan Notable Book
August Snow, an ex-police detectiv...
• Winner of the Hammett Prize for Crime Fiction
• Nominated for the 2018 Shamus Award for Best First Private Eye Novel
• Strand Magazine Critics Awards Best First Novel Nominee
• A 2018 Michigan Notable Book
August Snow, an ex-police detective who was fired from the Detroit PD, brought down the entire corrupt department and the mayor with a wrongful dismissal lawsuit. The son of an African-American cop and a Mexican-American painter, August Snow is most at home in Detroit’s Mexicantown neighborhood, where he grew up—the neighborhood he’s now returned to and hopes to revitalize with his settlement money of $12 million. The trouble is August has old enemies with scores to settle.
When an old acquaintance, finance magnate Eleanore Paget, hears August is back in town, she tries to hire him to investigate suspicious goings – on at her investment bank. August declines—detective work is no longer his beat. When Eleanore is found dead the next day of an apparent suicide, August doesn’t buy it for a minute. His search for her killer will drag him into a rat’s nest of Detroit’s most dangerous criminals.
Media
“Winner of the 2018 Nero Award.”
“All of us begin in grace and great promise and, staring at the door left open behind, wonder where they’ve gone. Stephen Mack Jones knows this, as does his narrator August Snow, as does their battered city, Detroit. Jean Cocteau believed the world is a misunderstanding. We read searching for stories that help us untangle some of that misunderstanding; August Snow is one.”
–James Sallis
“Drawing on the hard-boiled detective template established by Raymond Chandler and refined by Robert B. Parker, Jones introduces a sleuth who is noble, steadfast in a fight with his fists or guns, and manages to charm the ladies. Readers will definitely want to see more of August Snow.”
—Library Journal
“Strong prose and a hero with a distinctive multicultural background (August is half African-American, half Mexican)... Convincing smartass dialogue brings the Detroit denizens of poet and playwright Jones's first novel to life.”
—Publishers Weekly on August Snow
“[A] hugely likable hero who uses his wealth to bring his neighborhood back to life; a feel for the vitality and pride in run-down urban neighborhoods as good as George Pelecanos on Washington, D.C.; appealing supporting characters who give life to the book's theme of the solace to be found in communities. It adds up to a very pleasurable read...we are at the beginning of an excellent new series.”
—Kirkus Reviews on August Snow
“This debut novel by poet and playwright Jones offers a welcome inside view of a city in turmoil and the viewpoint of a Mexican and African-American protagonist who now finds himself among gentrifiers... where library shelves lack heroes of color, add Jones’ work.”
—Booklist on August Snow
“[A] polished, gripping debut. Poet Stephen Mack Jones’ novel bristles with energy, compassion, humor and a page-turning plot.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune on August Snow
“[A] witty, mayhem-packed first novel...Snow’s own voice has echoes of Raymond Chandler’s. Be assured that when the showdown comes, Snow—an action-hero with the heart of a mensch—and his crew prove up to that task.”
—Wall Street Journal on August Snow
“As far as compelling reads, this book is what you want. It’s the perfect PI-meets-wealthy-lady-and-now-someone-is-dead plot. The book takes the reader into the depths of Detroit, exploring, race, class and the cities that contain it all.”
–The Rumpus on August Snow
“Mack Jones’ prose is poetic and cutthroat, seemingly paradoxical elements he sees in his Detroit. You should meet this guy.”
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on August Snow
“August Snow is an absolute joy to read from start to finish; Stephen Mack Jones has infused a real love of Detroit into every page. Characters are full of life, with August being a modern day anti-hero to a T, burdened with responsibility he never asked for but with the moral compass to ensure that he gets the job done regardless...We can only hope this isn’t the last we see of him. ”
—The Michigan Daily
“Stephen Mack Jones' rock-solid debut, August Snow, is powered by the outgoing personality of the title hero and his deep affections for his hometown of Detroit. This author proves himself a natural entertainer.”
—Chicago Tribune
“[Stephen Mack Jones] has deftly created a unique multi-faceted character in the best hard-boiled tradition, easily enjoyed by those who appreciate quick-thinking, fast-shooting detectives. This is a well-polished first novel with exceptionally strong characters and unexpected plot twists; it’s a superb start for a new series.”
—Lansing State Journal
“Compelling...strong one-on-one dialogue that keeps the story moving. August Snow is an entertaining read that gives Jones — and Detroit — plenty to celebrate.”
—Toledo Blade
“Jones, a Detroit-area poet and playwright brings the city, its environs, and its eateries to vital life in a mystery coiled around the contemporary crime du jour of cyber-finance meddling. His is that rare tale that, despite its thriller-level violence, maintains a fiercely warm heart at its core — and ends far too quickly.”
—Boston Globe on August Snow
“[August Snow] is persistent, courageous, true to his friends... Now here is an interesting book.”
—Lincoln Journal Star
“Lyrical and sly and rich with a mix of poetry and wisecracking... [the] cast of characters is lovingly drawn, and the setting is a 21st-century map of mean streets that say something about our world.”
—Reviewing the Evidence on August Snow
“August Snow combines strength, vulnerability, and resolve — all necessary to the construction of a hero. Snow’s sense of honor is a liability in certain parts of Detroit — as it is most places — but the thought of abandoning it is never on the table. Razor-sharp characterization, an engaging style, and Jones’s intimate knowledge of Motor City culture give us hope for an enduring series and many years of entertainment.”
–Loren D. Estleman, author of the Amos Walker Novels
“Detective fiction needs a shot in the arm every now and again. That was the feeling of reading Stephen Mack Jones... The August Snow series is as promising as any crime fiction to come around in a long while, tapping into the iconoclasm and social justice streaks of midcentury noirs, but taking them in a modern direction, exposing human trafficking rings, abuses of immigrant communities, gentrification, and economic declines and revivals. It’s heady, exhilarating stuff.”