Review
'Dark, compelling and powerful; this is a book of real substance. Ryan David Jahn is a rare and fine talent.'
--R. J. Ellory
'Acts of Violence offers atmospheric insights into our way of life and our refusal to take responsibility.'
--Waterstones Books Quarterly
'This terrific debut was inspired by the true story of Kitty Genovese; her murder in 1964 outside her home in New York was witnessed by neighbours whose alleged lack of response prompted investigation into the phenomenon of "Bystander effect". . .Acts of Violence us a wonderfully visual book - the effect is of watching, unseen, through a dozen different windows as Jahn switches from one scenario to the next. Powerful, compassionate and authentic, it works both as a mystery and as a snapshot of America in the early 1960s.'
--Guardian
'Acts of Violence is a shocking and powerful literary thriller and without doubt, the most outstanding novel I have read this year.'
--It's A Crime!
'Excellent, a superb series of fictional stories.'
--The Times
'A thought-provoking and terrifying tour-de-force from an innovative thriller writer, which stayed with me for days after finishing the final haunting sentence.'
--9/10 Peterborough Evening Telegraph
'A gripping, thoughtful psychological thriller, which deftly interweaves the stories of the victim, her killer and the neighbours...Jahn's style creates a voyeuristic distance between reader and characters that perfectly matches his theme, the fearfulness and atomisation of urban life that encourages each man to be an island.'
--Financial Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
--R. J. Ellory
'Acts of Violence offers atmospheric insights into our way of life and our refusal to take responsibility.'
--Waterstones Books Quarterly
'This terrific debut was inspired by the true story of Kitty Genovese; her murder in 1964 outside her home in New York was witnessed by neighbours whose alleged lack of response prompted investigation into the phenomenon of "Bystander effect". . .Acts of Violence us a wonderfully visual book - the effect is of watching, unseen, through a dozen different windows as Jahn switches from one scenario to the next. Powerful, compassionate and authentic, it works both as a mystery and as a snapshot of America in the early 1960s.'
--Guardian
'Acts of Violence is a shocking and powerful literary thriller and without doubt, the most outstanding novel I have read this year.'
--It's A Crime!
'Excellent, a superb series of fictional stories.'
--The Times
'A thought-provoking and terrifying tour-de-force from an innovative thriller writer, which stayed with me for days after finishing the final haunting sentence.'
--9/10 Peterborough Evening Telegraph
'A gripping, thoughtful psychological thriller, which deftly interweaves the stories of the victim, her killer and the neighbours...Jahn's style creates a voyeuristic distance between reader and characters that perfectly matches his theme, the fearfulness and atomisation of urban life that encourages each man to be an island.'
--Financial Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
WINNER OF THE 2010 CWA JOHN CREASY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER
Book Description
Katrina Marino is about to become America’s most infamous murder victim. This is Katrina’s story, and the story of her killer. It is also the story of Katrina’s neighbours, those who witnessed her murder and did nothing: the terrified Vietnam draftee; the woman who thinks she’s killed a child, and her husband who will risk everything for the truth; the former soldier planning suicide and the man who saves him. And others whose lives are touched by the crime: the elderly teacher whose past is catching up with him; the amateur blackmailer who’s about to find out just what sort of people he’s been threatening; the corrupt cop who believes he is God’s ‘red right hand’. Shocking and compassionate, angry and gripping, ACTS OF VIOLENCE is a sprawling, cinematic tour-de-force, a terrifying crime novel unlike any other.
About the Author
Ryan David Jahn grew up in Arizona, Texas and California. He left school at sixteen to work in a record store and subsequently joined the army. Since 2004 he has worked in television and film. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Mary.
