A crime writer finds himself entangled in his own gruesome mystery in this fast-paced psychological thriller.
Drew Danner, a crime novelist with a house off LA's storied Mulholland Drive, awakens in a hospital bed with a scar on his head and no memory of being found convulsing over his ex-fianc├®e's body the previous night. He was discovered holding a knife, her blood beneath his nails. He himself doesn't know whether he is guilty or innocent. To reconstruct the facts, the writer must now become the protagonist, searching the corridors of his life and of the city he loves. Soon Drew closes in on clues he may or may not have left for himself, and as another young woman is similarly murdered he has to ask difficult questions—not of others but of himself.
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"A Las Angeles novelist is accused of murdering his ex finance. He is acquitted on an insanity plea due to a brain tumor. After the tumor is removed he is a free man. He then begins his own investigation into her murder. It's a pretty good story though it has some unlikely occurrences. "
— Chuck (4 out of 5 stars)
“Outstanding in every way. Hurwitz’s previous books—great as they were—look like practice swings before this titanic blast.”
— Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author“It’d be so simple to say that The Crime Writer toys and pokes and jabs with the genre. And of course it does. But by merging author and hero, Hurwitz sharpens a brand-new edge in his voice. An elegant, engaging, and wonderfully human book.”
— Brad Meltzer, #1 New York Times bestselling author“The Crime Writer is the must-read crime novel of the year. Brilliantly rendered with hip intelligence and fierce originality, this book is a stunner. Gregg Hurwitz may well have created a brand name franchise and deservedly so.”
— Robert Crais, #1 New York Times bestselling author“With The Crime Writer, Gregg Hurwitz has taken a quantum leap forward in the realm of American suspense literature. A thrilling, mind-bending journey, it is also deeply humane and beautifully written. You’ll turn the final page with profound regret.”
— Dennis Lehane, New York Times bestselling author“An intimate, tension-filled story that starts strong and grows to a smashing finish.”
— Newsday“Hurwitz’s intelligent, skillfully plotted thriller, with its clever mystery and undercurrent of menace, is a gripping read.”
— Telegraph (London)“Hurwitz’s intelligent, skillfully plotted thriller, with its clever mystery and undercurrent of menace, is a gripping read.”
— Daily Telegraph (London)“The Crime Writer unfolds like a modern film noir…Hurwitz is a tight and quick-moving writer. He is at his best while describing Drew’s Los Angeles, with all its gaudiness and hype.”
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette“[An] intimate, tension-filled story that starts strong and grows to a smashing finish…A hero truly worth rooting for.”
— South Florida Sun-Sentinel“Hurwitz’s carefully interwoven plotlines and taut writing—as well as his pulsing descriptions of Los Angeles—make for a deeply satisfying read, and the ending, revealed with masterful simplicity, shows the complex desires that make each of us capable of murder. A performance worthy of applause.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“An exhilarating tale…the first part of this exciting thriller may be the best opening ploy in the mystery genre this year.”
— Midwest Book Review“Gregg Hurwitz has written seven previous novels and has consistently produced work of exceptional quality, The Crime Writer perhaps being the pinnacle of that output thus far…One of my favorite reads of the year.”
— JanuaryMagazine.com“Hurwitz’s L.A. thriller has noir pulp chutzpah in spades…The fast pace and ingenious setup provide considerable tension.”
— Publishers Weekly“Danner’s anguish is compellingly described, and the plot has more twists and turns than Mulholland Drive. At least half a dozen characters are vividly drawn, and nearly all are like Danner—struggling to recover from some tragic and life-altering event. Hurwitz’s insights about L.A. life sound knowing and are often ruefully funny, e.g., ‘L.A., where a porn star runs for governor and an action figure wins.’ Crime fans looking for something different will love this one.”
— Booklist“An exhilarating tale…the first part of this exciting thriller may be the best opening ploy in the mystery genre this year.”
— Midwest Book Review" Good book. It was a fast read and I liked the main character. And I never expected it to end like it did. "
— Britney, 2/8/2014" Spannend! "
— Marielle, 1/29/2014" A story with a difference. The main character in the book is an author and he's trying to find out if he's a murderer or not. I enjoyed the storyline but I must admit that I skimmed some paragraphs where I became bored with descriptions that I didn't feel were relevant. I loved the outcome! "
— Judy, 1/26/2014" Wonderful writing, a crime writer trying to solve a murder he committed after suffering a seizure due to a brain tumor, but too much to swallow by one plot element. Excellent LA travelogue, witty dialogue, certainly a page turner, just lacking plausibility. "
— Kendall, 1/24/2014" Started slow for me but is a very good book. "
— Patricia, 1/18/2014" This is a great book! I could not put it down and finished it in 4 hours. "
— John, 1/16/2014" Would rate this 3.5 if I could. Enjoyable, but I can't justify 4 stars. "
— Rock, 1/11/2014" An everyday guy who gets stuck in a scene he'd find hard to dream up. Terrifying to put yourself in his shoes, but great to take the journey to the end with him. "
— Tammy, 1/6/2014" I know I read this, but it didn't stick with me in any way...reviews and descriptions bring it back a bit...enough to know I read this (as well as a note to myself that I did, in fact, read this a few years ago). I might have liked it more, but here's the thing...I can't remember exactly how it ended. Nice. "
— Jennie, 1/1/2014" I adore Gregg Hurwitz. He is an absolute master of creating vivid suspense stories. "
— Scarlett, 12/13/2013" Entertaing, a few interesting turns and tricks. I found the characters likeable. It was an easy but good read. "
— Randomboredom, 11/23/2013Gregg Hurwitz is the critically acclaimed bestselling author of the Orphan X series, among other books. His books have been nominated for numerous awards, shortlisted for best novel of the year by International Thriller Writers, nominated for CWA’s Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, chosen as feature selections for all four major literary book clubs, honored as Book Sense picks, and translated into twenty languages. He holds a BA degree in English and psychology from Harvard and a master’s degree from Trinity College, Oxford.
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.