THE WHEELMAN Meet Lennon, a mute Irish getaway driver who has fallen in with the wrong heist team on the wrong day at the wrong bank. Betrayed, his money stolen and his battered carcass left for dead, Lennon is on a one-way mission to find out who is responsible—and to get back his loot. But the robbery has sent a violent ripple effect through the streets of Philadelphia. And now a dirty cop, the Russian and Italian mobs, the mayor’s hired gun, and a keyboard player in a college rock band maneuver for position as this adrenaline-fueled novel twists and turns its way toward its explosive conclusion. One thing’s for sure: This cast of characters wakes up in a much different world by novel’s end—if they wake up at all. * Nominated for the 2006 Gumshoe Award for Best Mystery * * A Mysterious Bookshop Hardboiled Main Selection for December * * A Poisoned Pen Bookstore Employee Pick for October * * An M is for Mystery “Signed and Selected” Pick for November * * A Mysterious Bookshop Paperback Bestseller in November 2006 * Rights Information Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur, Hardcover (September 22, 2005) St. Martin's, Paperback (November 14, 2006) Territory: North American Rights Available: Translation via Baror International Reviews: "A bittersweet slice of noir… Swierczynski’s novel, like those of [Elmore] Leonard, offers an undertow of humor beneath the churning sea of man’s inhumanity. His knowledge of both the City of Brotherly Love and the mind-set of bank robbers helps make The Wheelman the delight it is." - Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post "Adrenaline-charged… fast-moving and funny, The Wheelman is Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in an R-rated amusement park." - Booklist "A great heist story in the rich tradition of Richard Stark’s Parker novels and Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing… keeps readers holding their breath to see what’s going to happen next. It is clearly the work of a maturing writer who is possessed of a keen style and abundant talent." - Philadelphia Inquirer "[A] promising debut… the gripping tale of a heist gone wrong." - Robert Wade, San Diego Union-Tribune "Dark stuff… hilariously funny at the same time. Swierczynski has come up with his own twisted and thoroughly enjoyable genre. Bring on some more, sir." - Rocky Mountain News "Swierczynski has an uncommon gift for the banal lunacy of criminal dialogue, a delightfully devious eye for character and a surprisingly well-developed narrative engine for a beginner." - Dick Adler, The Chicago Tribune "A double-joined plot that twists and turns so furiously he could take the gold if contortionists competed in the Olympics… The Wheelman is twisted, funny, violent—and a blast." - Mystery Scene "An exciting, gritty, adrenaline-charged tale… Swierczynski is definitely a rising star in contemporary American crime fiction; his oddball cast of characters is reminiscent of the Donald Westlake’s Dortmunder Gang—on steroids!" - Lansing State Journal "If Donald Westlake were on speed and in a nasty mood, the result might be a lot like The Wheelman. … A welcome throwback to a genre that was once prominent in American crime fiction." - Flint Journal "[A] fast paced, violent yet funny book. Swierczynski may well be the future of crime fiction writing." - Bookbitch.com "The Wheelman mixes the darkness, grit and ultra-violence of Ken Bruen’s Irish noir with the bad-ass cool of Richard Stark’s Parker books… [it’s] a noir cocktail that’ll knock you on your butt and keep you up all night at the same time. This book rocks." - Mystery Ink "If you could get whiplash reading a thriller, The Wheelman would do it. Sit down, hang on, and make sure there's a lid on your drink." - Marilyn Dahl, Shelf Awareness "The Wheelman is way more Pulp Fiction than “pulp fiction.” It’s brief and nearly absurd in its violence—Peckinpah animated by Warner Brothers." - Bookslut.com "Swierczynski seems to get such a kick out of writing about eccentric crooks, it’s almost criminal." - J. Kingston Pierce, January Magazine "If you like the distracted, short scenes of Ken Bruen, the bizarre characters of Elmore Leonard, and can tolerate the body count of Lee Child, you’ll devour Duane Swierczynski’s book in an instant… It’s super-duper fast noir pulp." - Reviewing the Evidence.com "Oh, what style!" - Kirkus "The plot twists of Richard Stark novel but the style of Ken Bruen’s non-series work. Very noir and highly recommended." - Black Orchid Bookshop "What all noir novels should aspire to be—dark, funny, twisted, fast-paced, and full of colourful characters. I was hooked from the first word until the last. The story is full of twists and turns that I never saw coming. There’s absolutely nothing predictable about this book." - I Love a Good Mystery.com "Excellent… deserving all of the hype and more." - Sarah Weinman, Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind Blurbs: "The Wheelman is as lean and intrepid as its title character, an assured and accomplished novel with a devilish sense of humor. In this, just his second novel, Duane Swierczynski puts the rest of the crime-writing world on notice. So learn to spell the last name. He’s going to be around for a while." - Laura Lippman, Edgar Award-winning author of Every Secret Thing "I cancelled a night out and stayed up all night reading. That’s how much I loved this book… at every turn, I was blindsided. Hilarious and bloody violent." - Ken Bruen, author of the Shamus Award-winning The Guards "Astonishing! Duane Swierczynski has written one of the great all-time heist novels and this guy’s just getting started." - Jason Starr, Barry Award-winning author of Twisted City "I loved it. Can’t wait for the next one." - Robert Ferrigno, author of Prayers for the Assassin "A blistering, edge-of-your-seat tale from a major new talent. This book was an absolute joy to read." - Richard Aleas, Edgar-nominated author of Little Girl Lost "Heist novels don’t get any better than this. The Wheelman grabs hold of you and refuses to let go." - Allan Guthrie, Edgar-nominated author of Kiss Her Goodbye "For fans of Richard Stark, W.R. Burnett, Lionel White, and Douglas Winter, the brand-new heist novel by Duane Swierczynski called The Wheelman is highly recommended." - Ethan Iverson, pianist, The Bad Plus "I may have to go take back yet another online article, the one for Salon about how crime novels were bad. I give [Swierczynski] high props for avoiding the sentimental hero stuff that bugs me in so many books. The writing and the dialogue were great, the Philly details and bank-robber lore tasty." - Ben Yagoda, author of The Sound on the Page: Style and Voice in Writing "The Wheelman is a white-knuckle thrill ride that grabs you by the throat. Unable to put down from the opening sentence to the end." - Brian Keene, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Terminal and City of the Dead "You’re all gonna hate Duane… his book is that good." - Paul Guyot, writer/producer of Judging Amy and Felicity "The action scenes are so good that you wonder when the movie will be coming out, and the characters are the kind you don’t want to meet in a dark alley, or anywhere else except in the pages of a book, where they’re all equally terrible and equally entertaining. If, like me, you have a little trouble spelling Swierczynski, better sit down and practice. He’s going to be around for a long time." - Bill Crider, award-winning author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series "Duane Swierczynski is one of the best new things to happen to crime fiction in a long time. A kick-ass writer with wicked cool skills and the instincts of a seasoned veteran. Keep your eyes on him. He’s going places." - Victor Gischler, Edgar-nominated author of Suicide Squeeze Purchase at Amazon.com

THE WHEELMAN

Meet Lennon, a mute Irish getaway driver who has fallen in with the wrong heist team on the wrong day at the wrong bank. Betrayed, his money stolen and his battered carcass left for dead, Lennon is on a one-way mission to find out who is responsible—and to get back his loot. But the robbery has sent a violent ripple effect through the streets of Philadelphia. And now a dirty cop, the Russian and Italian mobs, the mayor’s hired gun, and a keyboard player in a college rock band maneuver for position as this adrenaline-fueled novel twists and turns its way toward its explosive conclusion.

One thing’s for sure: This cast of characters wakes up in a much different world by novel’s end—if they wake up at all.

* Nominated for the 2006 Gumshoe Award for Best Mystery *
* A Mysterious Bookshop Hardboiled Main Selection for December *
* A Poisoned Pen Bookstore Employee Pick for October *
* An M is for Mystery “Signed and Selected” Pick for November *
* A Mysterious Bookshop Paperback Bestseller in November 2006 *

Rights Information

Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur, Hardcover (September 22, 2005)
St. Martin's, Paperback (November 14, 2006)

Territory: North American

Rights Available: Translation via Baror International

Reviews:
"A bittersweet slice of noir… Swierczynski’s novel, like those of [Elmore] Leonard, offers an undertow of humor beneath the churning sea of man’s inhumanity. His knowledge of both the City of Brotherly Love and the mind-set of bank robbers helps make The Wheelman the delight it is." - Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post

"Adrenaline-charged… fast-moving and funny, The Wheelman is Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in an R-rated amusement park." - Booklist

"A great heist story in the rich tradition of Richard Stark’s Parker novels and Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing… keeps readers holding their breath to see what’s going to happen next. It is clearly the work of a maturing writer who is possessed of a keen style and abundant talent." - Philadelphia Inquirer

"[A] promising debut… the gripping tale of a heist gone wrong." - Robert Wade, San Diego Union-Tribune

"Dark stuff… hilariously funny at the same time. Swierczynski has come up with his own twisted and thoroughly enjoyable genre. Bring on some more, sir." - Rocky Mountain News

"Swierczynski has an uncommon gift for the banal lunacy of criminal dialogue, a delightfully devious eye for character and a surprisingly well-developed narrative engine for a beginner." - Dick Adler, The Chicago Tribune

"A double-joined plot that twists and turns so furiously he could take the gold if contortionists competed in the Olympics… The Wheelman is twisted, funny, violent—and a blast." - Mystery Scene

"An exciting, gritty, adrenaline-charged tale… Swierczynski is definitely a rising star in contemporary American crime fiction; his oddball cast of characters is reminiscent of the Donald Westlake’s Dortmunder Gang—on steroids!" - Lansing State Journal

"If Donald Westlake were on speed and in a nasty mood, the result might be a lot like The Wheelman. … A welcome throwback to a genre that was once prominent in American crime fiction." - Flint Journal

"[A] fast paced, violent yet funny book. Swierczynski may well be the future of crime fiction writing." - Bookbitch.com

"The Wheelman mixes the darkness, grit and ultra-violence of Ken Bruen’s Irish noir with the bad-ass cool of Richard Stark’s Parker books… [it’s] a noir cocktail that’ll knock you on your butt and keep you up all night at the same time. This book rocks." - Mystery Ink

"If you could get whiplash reading a thriller, The Wheelman would do it. Sit down, hang on, and make sure there's a lid on your drink." - Marilyn Dahl, Shelf Awareness

"The Wheelman is way more Pulp Fiction than “pulp fiction.” It’s brief and nearly absurd in its violence—Peckinpah animated by Warner Brothers." - Bookslut.com

"Swierczynski seems to get such a kick out of writing about eccentric crooks, it’s almost criminal." - J. Kingston Pierce, January Magazine

"If you like the distracted, short scenes of Ken Bruen, the bizarre characters of Elmore Leonard, and can tolerate the body count of Lee Child, you’ll devour Duane Swierczynski’s book in an instant… It’s super-duper fast noir pulp." - Reviewing the Evidence.com

"Oh, what style!" - Kirkus

"The plot twists of Richard Stark novel but the style of Ken Bruen’s non-series work. Very noir and highly recommended." - Black Orchid Bookshop

"What all noir novels should aspire to be—dark, funny, twisted, fast-paced, and full of colourful characters. I was hooked from the first word until the last. The story is full of twists and turns that I never saw coming. There’s absolutely nothing predictable about this book." - I Love a Good Mystery.com

"Excellent… deserving all of the hype and more." - Sarah Weinman, Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind

Blurbs:
"The Wheelman is as lean and intrepid as its title character, an assured and accomplished novel with a devilish sense of humor. In this, just his second novel, Duane Swierczynski puts the rest of the crime-writing world on notice. So learn to spell the last name. He’s going to be around for a while." - Laura Lippman, Edgar Award-winning author of Every Secret Thing

"I cancelled a night out and stayed up all night reading. That’s how much I loved this book… at every turn, I was blindsided. Hilarious and bloody violent." - Ken Bruen, author of the Shamus Award-winning The Guards

"Astonishing! Duane Swierczynski has written one of the great all-time heist novels and this guy’s just getting started." - Jason Starr, Barry Award-winning author of Twisted City

"I loved it. Can’t wait for the next one." - Robert Ferrigno, author of Prayers for the Assassin

"A blistering, edge-of-your-seat tale from a major new talent. This book was an absolute joy to read." - Richard Aleas, Edgar-nominated author of Little Girl Lost

"Heist novels don’t get any better than this. The Wheelman grabs hold of you and refuses to let go." - Allan Guthrie, Edgar-nominated author of Kiss Her Goodbye

"For fans of Richard Stark, W.R. Burnett, Lionel White, and Douglas Winter, the brand-new heist novel by Duane Swierczynski called The Wheelman is highly recommended." - Ethan Iverson, pianist, The Bad Plus

"I may have to go take back yet another online article, the one for Salon about how crime novels were bad. I give [Swierczynski] high props for avoiding the sentimental hero stuff that bugs me in so many books. The writing and the dialogue were great, the Philly details and bank-robber lore tasty." - Ben Yagoda, author of The Sound on the Page: Style and Voice in Writing

"The Wheelman is a white-knuckle thrill ride that grabs you by the throat. Unable to put down from the opening sentence to the end." - Brian Keene, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Terminal and City of the Dead

"You’re all gonna hate Duane… his book is that good." - Paul Guyot, writer/producer of Judging Amy and Felicity

"The action scenes are so good that you wonder when the movie will be coming out, and the characters are the kind you don’t want to meet in a dark alley, or anywhere else except in the pages of a book, where they’re all equally terrible and equally entertaining. If, like me, you have a little trouble spelling Swierczynski, better sit down and practice. He’s going to be around for a long time." - Bill Crider, award-winning author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series

"Duane Swierczynski is one of the best new things to happen to crime fiction in a long time. A kick-ass writer with wicked cool skills and the instincts of a seasoned veteran. Keep your eyes on him. He’s going places." - Victor Gischler, Edgar-nominated author of Suicide Squeeze

Purchase at Amazon.com