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COLD PURSUIT (2003) Homicide cop Tom McMichael is on the rotation when an 84-year-old city patriarch named Pete Braga is found bludgeoned to death. Not good news, especially since the Irish McMichaels and the Portuguese Bragas share a violent family history dating back three generations. Years ago Braga shot McMichael's grandfather in a dispute over a paycheck; soon thereafter Braga's son was severely beaten behind a waterfront bar—legend has it that it was an act of revenge by McMichael's father. McMichael must put aside the old family blood feud, and find the truth about Pete Braga's death. Braga's beautiful nurse is a suspect—she says she stepped out for some firewood, but key evidence suggests otherwise. The investigation soon expands to include Braga's business, his family, the Catholic diocese, a multi-million dollar Indian casino, a prostitute, a cop, and, of course, the McMichael family. Read an excerpt. Read reviews. Listen to the audio clip.
 Jeff Parker on COLD PURSUIT
COLD PURSUIT took me outside myself in a way that no other book of mine has. For one thing, it's set down in San Diego, rather than my usual Orange County. I took so much for granted when I wrote about Orange County. I grew up there, spent 40 years of my life there. But when it came time to write another book, I wanted to try something different. So I hatched this urban murder tale in San Diego. And I soon realized that I could take nothing for granted. I had to research everything from history to street names, from governmental organization to surf breaks. My brother, to whom this book is partly dedicated, once went to sea out of San Diego on a commercial tuna boat. He was on that superseiner for something like four months, and when they got back into port he was paid nothing for his quarter share. The reason given was they'd caught too few fish to earn enough money for the new guys. It was a pretty clear rip-off. That incident stuck in my imagination—as well as my brother's—and formed the kernel of COLD PURSUIT.
Hyperion US hardcover April 2003 ISBN 0786868058 HarperTorch US mass-market paperback Oct 2004 ISBN 006059327X HarperCollins UK hardcover Oct 2003 ISBN 0007149352 HarperCollins UK mass-market paperback Nov 2003 ISBN 0007122195 Thorndike hardcover (largeprint) July 2003 ISBN 0786254645 Brilliance Audio MP3-CD (unabridged) June 2004 ISBN 9781593350710 Brilliance Audio CD Dec 2005 ISBN 9781596004375 Brilliance Audio cassette (abridged) April 2004 ISBN 9781590861400 Brilliance Audio cassette (unabridged) April 2003 ISBN 9781590861370 Brilliance Audio (download) Sept 2004 ISBN 9781597101462 Hyperion e-book Microsoft Reader April 2003 ISBN B000094B4J
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
Winner of the 2003 Southern California Booksellers Association Book Award. Another wonderful mystery from one of the very best. —Booklist Parker has produced a ten-novel skein unsurpassed, perhaps unmatched, by any other contemporary writer of crime fiction. —Kirkus Reviews Parker again demonstrates his ability to handle complex plot elements, a cast of edgy, unconventional, absolutely alive characters, and the socko ending. In Cold Pursuit he elevates the duel between cop and killer to a new level with a longstanding family feud: Portuguese Bragas against Irish McMichaels, the former once tuna fishermen in San Diego's rich waters, now Ford dealers and property developers, the latter a clan of saloonkeepers and, with Tom McMichaels, cops. Parker draws a terrific landscape of San Diego, not just the physical city but its power structure, its history, and its major players, carrying us across over half a century of California postwar life and reminding us how tangled are the skeins of all our lives. —Poisoned Pen newsletter As is the norm with Parker, this tale is a complicated one, weaving in and out of murder, but also covering themes of love, forgiveness and redemption....[he] continues to be one of the best contemporary writers in the mystery or any genre. While some writers feel they need many words to be profound, Parker can achieve eloquence with very few, well-chosen words. His style may be precise but his plots are rich and his characters are alive. His language also pulsates with the rhythms of the city." —Mystery Ink Online The characters were exquisitely flawed, the plot twists were shocking yet plausible. —Edelweiss Books, Big Bear Lake I found the characters to be so fresh and believable I expect to meet them walking down the street. —The Next Chapter Bookstore, Montgomery, MN The best suspense writer - and I've read most of them. —May Karl, G.J. Ford Bookshop, St. Simons Island Loved the characters, plot development and solid writing. —Dan Letteri, The Corner Bookstore, NY T. Jefferson Parker knows noir; he takes a classic murder mystery and gives it a unique styling that fascinates as it entertains. Non-Californians might think of San Diego as a sunny summer destination, which features happy side trips to Seaworld and the San Diego Zoo. But residents will recognize Parker's winter incarnation of San Diego, which can be dark with some torrential downpours. The dialogue flows smoothly, the plot twists and turns and the characters—whether appealing, pathetic or totally repugnant—all have that ring of authenticity that is the hallmark of the most skilled writers. If you haven't entered the world of T. Jefferson Parker, by all means head to the bookstore and remedy the situation immediately. —Claire E. White for WritersWrite.com  |
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