The Terror of Living [Paperback]

"A hell of a good novel, relentlessly paced and beautifully narrated... Strong narrative voice, auspicious debut" --Stephen King

'Absorbing and atmospheric debut thriller' --The Bookseller

'The defining quality of Urban Waite's gripping existential thriller is an elegant sparseness, which inevitably recalls Cormac McCarthy' --Financial Times

'[A] promising debut... Waite eloquently depicts men in turmoil for whom the choice isn't necessarily between right and wrong but where to draw the line' --Publishers Weekly

'Urban Waite never eases the throttle, but even at high speed, it's the interplay between the characters that gives the novel its power. An outstanding debut.' --Booklist

'Make a note of the name -- for this debut heralds the arrival of a 30 year old thriller writer who might just become a star... Told with a force that lifts off the page, and a sentient clarity about ordinary people trapped in crisis, it's a superb debut thriller' --Daily Mail

'More artistry than would seem possible in a conventional thriller. His descriptions of the stark beauty of the mountains have a calming effect on the intensity of the cinematic action scenes' --New York Times

'Formidable... unfolds in short and all too memorably violent sequences, yet the author also allows his characters room to wrestle with private demons as the intense, often gruesome tale races towards its satisfying resolution' --Washington Post

"...a smart, swiftly-paced and bloody Western for our moment. Urban Waite is a writer who won't let a reader wander away" --Daniel Woodrell

"...a book chock full of memorable characters and kick-ass writing. Clear your calendar before reading this one, folks" --Tom Franklin

"...opens with gentle beauty, calm before a bloody storm, before building intensity with swift, jarring and confident storytelling power." --Michael Koryta

"...peopled by colourful characters and driven by terrifying events that begin at mach speed and never slow for a moment." --Joe Wambaugh

"In Waite's hands, scenes come at you like bursts of machine gun fire, and it's testament to his skill" --Josh Weil

"The meticulously calibrated prose, rushing narrative and sympathetic protagonists mark Waite as a rewarding, promising writer." --Kirkus

"This is a chase, a thriller, a western and a character study that combines everything in a beautiful poetic prose." --Globe and Mail

"Waite is most eloquent when he's probing the interior lives of the men locked in this contest of will and endurance." --New York Times

"Waite brings a nimble touch to the material... Lines are rendered with surprising delicacy..." --Entertainment Weekly

"...allows his characters room to wrestle with private demons as the intense, often gruesome tale races towards its satisfying resolution."
--Washington Post

"Told with a force that lifts off the page, and a sentient clarity about ordinary people trapped in crisis." --Daily Mail

"The ingredients Waite stirs into his tensely orchestrated narrative are simple but classic." --Daily Express, February 18, 2011

`Always taut, always intelligent, always bloody, this is an outstanding debut thriller' --Sunday Telegraph, February 20, 2011

`Waite is an impressive writer with a lean, muscular style reminiscent of his obvious heroes - McCarthy, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Stone' --Guardian 19/3

'[Waite] reveals a true gift for building suspense while burrowing into the minds of the people on his pages... In a book all about choice and chance, you'll also find two certainties: this thriller will end up in cinemas and, more importantly, there's even better from Waite to come'
--Harry Guerin, RTE Guide

'Pure dynamite. This is one of those books you start at one in the afternoon and put down, winded, after midnight' --Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

Hunt, an ex-convict, has spent the past twenty years on a small ranch with his wife, supplementing his income with the odd drug smuggling job. Drake, a deputy sheriff, is newly married and has almost escaped the shadow of his father, who was also a sheriff -- and no stranger to the drug trade himself...Drake is on Hunt's trail when a big drug deal in the mountains goes awry and so begins a terrifying race against time. Although Hunt evades Drake's attempts at capture the traffickers soon unleash a merciless hired killer to reclaim what's theirs. As the chase closes in and loyalties are tested, Drake's quest for justice contends with a hitman's quest for blood, and Hunt must face a terrible choice...