Praise
“If you have read Coleman’s earlier works you know he has a knack for killer sentences and characters. But Gus Murphy is something special. His grief feels real, his demons believable, his personal wilderness tough to bear but necessary. And I like this working class Long Island a whole lot.”
—Sarah Weinman, The Crime Lady Newsletter
“Edgar-finalist Coleman offers a searing look at the dark underside of Long Island in this stellar series kickoff….Coleman’s moving portrayal of a man in deep, deep pain, a tightly constructed plot, and a gift for making Long Island seem like James Ellroy’s L.A. add up to a winner.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Gus, who is absolutely one of genre veteran Coleman’s bestdrawn characters, brings the hard-boiled investigator’s requisite battle scars to the table without the self-destructive bent we’ve been trained to expect. Instead, he meets his tragedy and its consequences with a considered straightforwardness, and his desire for justice reawakens in time with the investigation’s quickening tempo, hopefully signaling the start of a series.”
— Booklist, starred review
“The author of the “Moe Prager” series has created another engaging sleuth in the down-but-not-out Gus. His cynicism about God, the income divide on Long Island, and police corruption add dimension to his protagonist. The ancillary characters, both good and bad, are also a fascinating mix. Moe Prager fans will hail this new series, as will lovers of solid mysteries, especially those set on Long Island.”
—Library Journal, starred review
“This superb novel is part police procedural and part crime fiction that morphs into a thriller. The buildup is compelling…keep a scorecard, because there are numerous characters with a variety of nicknames. Enjoy the surprise ending.”
—RT Book Reviews
“One of the greatest voices in contemporary crime fiction, and one of the best storytellers too. I loved this book. Nobody does it better.”
—LEE CHILD
“Gus Murphy is the new name in crime fiction. He is my kind of guy and Where It Hurts, Reed Farrel Coleman’s spectacularly absorbing new novel, is my kind of story. You go into a story like this expecting/hoping for a solid character to ride with, a high-octane story in which you don’t see the turns coming in the road ahead, and a truthful observation on life from a different angle. As usual, Coleman delivers. I can’t wait for Murphy and Coleman to show up again.”
—MICHAEL CONNELLY
“Reed Farrel Coleman introduces a great new character, Gus Murphy, a street savvy ex-cop who operates beneath the glitter of the Gold Coast and the glitz of the Hamptons in a Long Island that few outsiders ever see. Where It Hurts is a gut punch of a novel, a murder mystery layered with grief, greed, and grit. Coleman is as good as Chandler, Hammett or Ed McBain.”
—NELSON DEMILLE
“Modern noir at its absolute best! Reading Where It Hurts is to bask in the joy of the heyday of private eye fiction—Chandler, Hammett, Cain and the whole crew. Everything’s a delight, from the speedy and clever plot, to the firecracker snap of the dialog, to the heart-wrenching portrayal of the characters—good and bad. And Gus Murphy, what a protagonist! Coleman’s truly delivered, and then some.”
—JEFFERY DEAVER
“Where It Hurts is a thrilling start to a new series by Reed Farrel Coleman – who writes some of the best crime fiction around. Tough prose, taut plotting, and a great new protagonist named Gus Murphy. Coleman’s got a winner here.”
—LINDA FAIRSTEIN
“Reed Farrel Coleman’s Where It Hurts tells a riveting story about a Long Island that has nothing to do with the romantic vision of F. Scott Fitzgerald in this action packed tale of an amoral world. Coleman is a born storyteller who writes with great authority and gives as much bang for the buck as the best books in the genre.”
—PAT CONROY
“Where It Hurts ushers us into a vivid and rueful new world with a striking and haunted hero for whom we fall hard. With his signature hard-bitten lyricism but with an urgency and darkness all its own, Reed Farrel Coleman has given us a riveting new series we’ll want to live with for a very, very long time.”
—MEGAN ABBOTT
“Where It Hurts is taut, smart, and engaging with a terrific sense of place. Readers will never go wrong with Gus Murphy or his creator Reed Farrel Coleman.”
—C.J. BOX
