Speak of the Devil, Richard Hawke
Speak of the Devil, Richard Hawke
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

Speak of the Devil

Author: Richard Hawke

Narrator: Paul Michael

Abridged: 5 hr 42 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/10/2006


Synopsis

“[An] amazing thriller . . . [Richard] Hawke’s dialogue is sharp and snappy and the plot moves with all the energy of New York City.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer

A child of Hell’s Kitchen and the bastard son of a beloved former police commissioner, Fritz Malone is all too familiar with New York City’s rougher side. So when a gunman opens fire at the crowded Thanksgiving Day parade, Fritz steps into action, giving chase. He then learns that someone dubbed “Nightmare” has been taunting the city’s leaders for weeks—and there’s more carnage to come, unless the city meets the madman’s impossible demands. The nervous police need an outside man, and Fritz fits the bill. Racing furiously against time, Fritz finds himself confounded by Nightmare’s multiple masks and messengers. But the dark story behind the story soon begins to emerge, and when Fritz zeroes in on the terrible truth, the killer retaliates by making things personal. Now Fritz must grapple with his deepest fear: Sometimes nightmares really do come true.

Praise for Speak of the Devil

“Hawke razzle-dazzles us with . . . bada-bing narration and quirky, well-drawn characters.”—The Boston Globe

“[Packed] with a breathless pace and hairpin turns.”—South Florida Sun Sentinel

“Fast-moving, first-rate . . . Hawke’s plot grabs us by the throat. . . . He keeps the suspense mounting.”—The Washington Post Book World

“Solidly entertaining . . . Hawke makes a big splash on the thriller scene with his debut novel.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“[Speak of the Devil] tours the city with unusual streetwise panache . . . but this isn’t a book that coasts on its urban geography. It lives by its wits, and its wits would work anywhere.”—The New York Times

“A bang-bang thriller . . . We are absolutely powerless to stop reading.”—Chicago Tribune

“[A] deftly paced debut that crackles and pops from page 1.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Thrill-a-minute pacing and inspired plot twists.”—Newsday

“A rare combination of intrigue and intensity.”—Michael Connelly

About The Author

Richard Hawke is the author of Speak of the Devil. He lives in New York City. Visit his web site at www.RHawke.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by João on September 22, 2016

I guess I could stretch to 3 stars but I just cant get myself to do it. The book is painfully average, so a 2.5 is the exact score it deserves. We all know the genre. A PI, a mystery, a city as a backdrop, in this case NY, almost a character itself. Some smart-ass lines from the PI, a tangled web of......more

Goodreads review by Kevin on March 31, 2013

A New York City detective at odds with the cops. An unpredictable villain playing havoc with both sides. A simmering backdrop of police and political conspiracy and cops gone rogue. All the cliche elements of the typical New York City crime novel, right? Even the villain's calculated threats pose th......more

Goodreads review by lynne on May 18, 2008

I consumed this book in less than a day. It's one of the few this year that hooked me in pretty much from the first few pages, and kept going pretty much throughout. Sure, by the time we're 80% thru the book I was growling "enough already, let's get to the bad guy already", red herrings and dead ends......more

Goodreads review by Kathy on November 24, 2007

This first novel by Richard Hawke was entertaining and compelling enough that I finished it one setting. The story revolves around the illegitimate son of a former NYC Police Chief who stumbles upon a shooting at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The shooter is killed but the actual mastermind is d......more

Goodreads review by Derek on March 10, 2019

Not His Best This is a relented writer capable of keeping you in a state of suspense. If you like his work than but this book. But this is far from his best, it drags in parts and was surprisingly predictable. Three stars for me is a Meh.......more


Quotes

“[An] amazing thriller . . . [Richard] Hawke’s dialogue is sharp and snappy and the plot moves with all the energy of New York City.”Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Hawke razzle-dazzles us with . . . bada-bing narration and quirky, well-drawn characters.”The Boston Globe

“[Packed] with a breathless pace and hairpin turns.”South Florida Sun Sentinel

“Fast-moving, first-rate . . . Hawke’s plot grabs us by the throat. . . . He keeps the suspense mounting.”The Washington Post Book World

“Solidly entertaining . . . Hawke makes a big splash on the thriller scene with his debut novel.”The Philadelphia Inquirer

“[Speak of the Devil] tours the city with unusual streetwise panache . . . but this isn’t a book that coasts on its urban geography. It lives by its wits, and its wits would work anywhere.”The New York Times

“A bang-bang thriller . . . We are absolutely powerless to stop reading.”Chicago Tribune

“[A] deftly paced debut that crackles and pops from page 1.”Booklist (starred review)

“Thrill-a-minute pacing and inspired plot twists.”Newsday

“A rare combination of intrigue and intensity.”—Michael Connelly