by
Jim Keane

In small-town Peekskill on the banks of the Hudson, Jesse Curley is a big loser. His bookie is out to collect a $10,000 gambling debt from him, and if he doesn’t pay up, he’ll visit Jesse’s college-grad sister for payment, in blood. Being unemployed and broke, it seems the only way to save her is to rob a bank, but before he can pull off the heist, she’s attacked by a knife-wielding assailant and left for dead. There’s no doubt the bookie made good on the threat, however, the detective on the case has another suspect, so Jesse teams up with a combat-vet bar owner, an Irish cabbie, and a friend on the police force to gather their own evidence. The ensuing investigation uncovers family secrets, cold-blooded murder, and a plot of revenge so heinous it will scar this small town with big-city wounds.
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47,200 words
272 pages
Praise for Small Town Killer

REVIEWED BY AUTHOR James Kinsley, Norfolk, UK

Fast-paced and dramatic tale of tragedy and revenge in small-town America.

Absolutely no messing about with Keane's lean crime thriller. The pacing is so taut it could snap. Plotting is clear, characters are well-defined and there's a definite constant sense of danger throughout the novel. Protagonist Jesse Curley is a likeable lead, investigating the assault on his sister while juggling his own joblessness and gambling debts. Probably the most well-drawn of the characters, he provides a good focus for the story. Other characters, with the exception of Detective Kellerman, the investigating officer that Curley clashes with, are not, arguably, handled so deftly. Irish cab driver Rory O'Rouke in particular verges on being a stereotype, but they all serve their purpose within the well-crafted narrative, keeping things very much on the rails.
...
The prose is tight, functional without being showy, and with the kind of short, snappy sentences that convey the atmosphere well. For the genre, there's also a refreshing restraint when it comes to the violence and the language. It's easy to go overboard on the blood & guts, and the cursing, but Keane sidesteps the temptation in a way that doesn't sanitize, but allows the story to flow without distracting the reader.
Overall, while there are elements that didn't work for me personally, I enjoyed Small Town Killer. Not my usual genre, but it kept me engaged throughout. An author I'd read more of.

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