The Inquisitor

A spectacularly original thriller about a professional torturer who has a strict code, a mysterious past, and a dangerous conviction that he can save the life of an innocent child.

Geiger has a gift: he knows a lie the instant he hears it. And in his business — called "information retrieval" by its practitioners — that gift is invaluable, because truth is the hottest thing on the market.

Geiger's clients count on him to extract the truth from even the most reluctant subjects. Unlike most of his competitors, Geiger rarely sheds blood, but he does use a variety of techniques — some physical, many psychological — to push his subjects to a point where pain takes a backseat to fear. Because only then will they finally stop lying.

One of Geiger's rules is that he never works with children. So when his partner, former journalist Harry Boddicker, unwittingly brings in a client who demands that Geiger interrogate a twelve-year-old boy, Geiger responds instinctively. He rescues the boy from his captor, removes him to the safety of his New York City loft, and promises to protect him from further harm. But if Geiger and Harry cannot quickly discover why the client is so desperate to learn the boy's secret, they themselves will become the victims of an utterly ruthless adversary.

Mesmerizing and heart-in-your-throat compelling, Mark Allen Smith's The Inquisitor is a completely unique thriller that introduces both an unforgettable protagonist and a major new talent.

"Information retrieval takes on a sinister cast in Smith's mesmerizing thriller debut, whose hero, Geiger (aka 'the Inquisitor'), makes his living torturing the truth out of people. When client Richard Hall, an agent for a private art collector, shows up at a Manhattan hideout with 12-year-old Ezra Matheson instead of the intended target, Ezra's father, who's stolen a valuable de Kooning from the collector, it triggers a protective instinct in Geiger. Rather than torturing the boy about his father's whereabouts, Geiger takes the boy and goes on the run; Hall and his cohorts follow in hot pursuit. Smith tantalizes the reader with bits about the enigmatic Geiger's past as well as his present. Graphic descriptions of torture coolly administered by Geiger show him to be a decidedly warped character, but he's also a fascinating piece of work as he copes with the deadly agents determined to recapture Ezra. This may be the most unusual and talked about thriller of the season." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

"An adrenaline-fueled cat-and-mouse game...[Geiger] is a fascinating protagonist with a revealing backstory. A compelling debut thriller that blurs the lines between the good and bad guys." Library Journal (starred review)

"Transfixing...nerve-racking....[Smith] successfully transforms Geiger into a sympathetic hero." The New York Times Book Review

"Remarkably assured....A swiftly paced narrative as disturbing as it is compelling." The Washington Post

"This is one of the best and most engrossing debut novels I've read in years, and also one of the most original. Mark Allen Smith has created an unusual hero named Geiger whose occupation is torturing the truth out of people. Geiger is good at what he does, and so is Mr. Smith. The Inquisitor will keep you locked in a room for days." Nelson DeMille

"[Geiger is] one of the most utterly distinctive protagonists in a recent thriller, and one of the most unexpectedly sympathetic....Smith invests his first novel with psychological dimensions you might expect in a third or fourth book....A breezy, involving thriller that handily overcomes any resistance to its grisly premise and leaves you hoping for the return of its oddly winning hero." Kirkus (starred review)

Mark Allen Smith, who lives in New York City, has worked for many years in both movies and television as a screenwriter, investigative news producer, and documentary filmmaker. This is his first novel.