Synopses & Reviews
Let it Burn is the newest novel in the acclaimed Alex McKnight series by two-time Edgar award-winner and
New York Times bestselling author Steve Hamilton.
Even though Alex McKnight swore to serve and protect Detroit as a police officer, a trip to Motown these days is a trip to a past hed just as soon forget. The city will forever remind him of his partners death and of the bullet still lodged in his own chest. So hes more than happy to stay in the little town of Paradise, three hundred miles and half a lifetime away.
Then he gets a call from his old sergeant. It turns out that a young man Alex helped put away will be getting out of prison. That one big case marked the highlight of his career, before his partner was killed, before his marriage fell apart, before he left Detroit, forever. Now that man is about to walk free.
When the sergeant invites Alex downstate to have a drink for old times sake, its an offer he would normally refuse. However, theres a certain female FBI agent he cant stop thinking about, so he gets in his truck and he goes back to Detroit. While there, hes reminded of something about that last case, a seemingly small piece of the puzzle that he never got to share. Its not something anyone wants to hear, but Alex cant let go of this gut feeling that they arrested the wrong man.
And that the real killer not only got away, but went on to kill again.
And again.
And again.
Review
Praise for Steve Hamilton:
“A proven master of suspense.”
—LEE CHILD
“Im often asked to recommend a detective series readers might have missed. This is it.”
—HARLAN COBEN
"I really like his main character, Alex McKnight, and I'm ready to revisit Paradise, Michigan."
—JAMES PATTERSON
“Already one of our best writers.”
—LAURA LIPPMAN
"Hamilton writes tough, passionate novels.... This is crime writing at its very best.”
—GEORGE PELECANOS
“Hamiltons compelling, vigorous prose doesnt allow the option of taking a break.”
—Los Angeles Times
“Steve Hamilton writes the kind of stories that manly men and tough-minded women cant resist.”
—The New York Times
“Hamilton . . . paints a rich and vivid portrait of a world where the chill in the air is often matched by that of the soul.”
—The Providence Journal
“Hamilton gives us mysteries within mysteries as well as a hero who simply wont be beaten down.”
—The Miami Herald
“Hamiltons prose . . . remains an unself-consciously terse pleasure.”
—Entertainment Weekly
Praise for Let It Burn:
“As the tense story unfolds, the action builds to a violent climax. This beautifully crafted novel lives up to the standard fans have come to expect from one of the few writers to have ever been honored with two Edgar Awards.”
—Associated Press
“This may be his best one so far.”
—Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
“Let It Burn may be Hamilton's best novel yet.”
—Shelf Awareness
“McKnights vision of now-devastated Detroit is tremendously compelling.”
—Booklist
“Steve Hamilton has written another compelling addition to his continually outstanding Alex McKnight series with Let It Burn. As always, Hamilton's writing is realistically stylized with three-dimensional characters and atmospheric locales. You literally feel the heartbreak of present-day Detroit in comparison to its former glory days as the renowned Motor City. Let It Burn is thrilling crime drama at its very best.”
—Fresh Fiction
“A great read, for all the right reasons.”
—Criminal Element
“As good as it gets for an Alex McKnight mystery, and thats a high standard indeed!”
—Book Loons
“Let It Burn is a tense, well-constructed, and sometimes poignant tale that will make newcomers to Hamiltons series want to go back and read the previous entries.”
—The Rap Sheet
“The Alex McKnight series is head and shoulders above most in the crime genre today and Hamilton writes with such an easy style it is impossible to not get instantly drawn into the drama. Let It Burn is a great and unforgettable read and one that does the Alex McKnight series proud.”
—New Mystery Reader
"This is a police procedural of the highest order. The chapters in the first half of the book alternate between the present and the events which took place all those years ago at a pivotal, life-changing time for McKnight. The second half of the book follows him trying to go back over everything in the initial investigation to find out what he missed. Ultimately this already fast-paced tale takes a totally unexpected twist. And from that point on, I couldnt put the book down."
—Crimespree Magazine
Review
Praise for Steve Hamilton:
“A proven master of suspense.”
—LEE CHILD
“Im often asked to recommend a detective series readers might have missed. This is it.”
—HARLAN COBEN
"I really like his main character, Alex McKnight, and I'm ready to revisit Paradise, Michigan."
—JAMES PATTERSON
“Already one of our best writers.”
—LAURA LIPPMAN
"Hamilton writes tough, passionate novels.... This is crime writing at its very best.”
—GEORGE PELECANOS
“Hamiltons compelling, vigorous prose doesnt allow the option of taking a break.”
—Los Angeles Times
“Steve Hamilton writes the kind of stories that manly men and tough-minded women cant resist.”
—The New York Times
“Hamilton . . . paints a rich and vivid portrait of a world where the chill in the air is often matched by that of the soul.”
—The Providence Journal
“Hamilton gives us mysteries within mysteries as well as a hero who simply wont be beaten down.”
—The Miami Herald
“Hamiltons prose . . . remains an unself-consciously terse pleasure.”
—Entertainment Weekly
Praise for Let It Burn:
“McKnights vision of now-devastated Detroit is tremendously compelling.”
—Booklist
"This may be his best one so far." —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"As the tense story unfolds, the action builds to a violent climax. This beautifully crafted novel lives up to the standard fans have come to expect from one of the few writers to have ever been honored with two Edgar Awards." —Associated Press
Synopsis
Alex McKnight swore to serve and protect Detroit as a police officer, but a trip to Motown these days is a trip to a past he'd just as soon forget. The city will forever remind him of his partner's death and of the bullet still lodged in his own chest.
Then he gets a call from his old sergeant. A young man Alex helped put away in the one big case that marked the high point of his career will be getting out of prison. When the sergeant invites Alex downstate to have a drink for old times' sake, it's an offer he would normally refuse. However, there's a certain female FBI agent he can't stop thinking about, so he gets in his truck and he goes back to Detroit.
While there, he's reminded of something about that young man's case, a seemingly small piece of the puzzle that he never got to share. It's not something anyone wants to hear, but Alex can't let go of the feeling that they arrested the wrong man. And that the real killer not only got away, but went on to kill again.
Let it Burn continues the acclaimed Alex McKnight series by two-time Edgar award-winner and New York Times bestselling author Steve Hamilton.
"
Synopsis
Let it Burn, the newest novel in the acclaimed Alex McKnight series by two-time Edgar award-winner and
New York Times bestselling author Steve Hamilton. Alex McKnight doesnt leave Michigan's Upper Peninsula if he can help it. He steers clear of Detroit in particular, where he once worked as a cop. The city will forever remind him of his partners death and of the bullet still lodged in his own chest. But a woman he cant shake has drawn him back to finally see whats there between them.
While hes in the city, he cant help but stop by his old precinct. Its now closed, like the countless abandoned buildings that surround it. His visit has reminded him of a case he was working on during that last summer. After his partner was killed and Alex left the force, the case was solved, and a man was sentenced to life in prison for the crime. Alex remembers something, a seemingly small piece of the puzzle that he never got to share. But all these years later, when he looks up the now-retired lead detective, this new piece of information doesnt exactly get a warm reception. The detective solved the case, after all, and justice was served.
Until Alex does a little more digging and finds out that the real culprit might have gotten away. And might still be out there, preying on more victims...
Synopsis
Let it Burn, the newest novel in the acclaimed Alex McKnight series by two-time Edgar award-winner and
New York Times bestselling author Steve Hamilton. Alex McKnight doesnt leave Michigan's Upper Peninsula if he can help it. He steers clear of Detroit in particular, where he once worked as a cop. The city will forever remind him of his partners death and of the bullet still lodged in his own chest. But a woman he cant shake has drawn him back to finally see whats there between them.
While hes in the city, he cant help but stop by his old precinct. Its now closed, like the countless abandoned buildings that surround it. His visit has reminded him of a case he was working on during that last summer. After his partner was killed and Alex left the force, the case was solved, and a man was sentenced to life in prison for the crime. Alex remembers something, a seemingly small piece of the puzzle that he never got to share. But all these years later, when he looks up the now-retired lead detective, this new piece of information doesnt exactly get a warm reception. The detective solved the case, after all, and justice was served.
Until Alex does a little more digging and finds out that the real culprit might have gotten away. And might still be out there, preying on more victims...
Synopsis
Let it Burn is the newest novel in the acclaimed Alex McKnight series by two-time Edgar award-winner and
New York Times bestselling author Steve Hamilton.
Even though Alex McKnight swore to serve and protect Detroit as a police officer, a trip to Motown these days is a trip to a past hed just as soon forget. The city will forever remind him of his partners death and of the bullet still lodged in his own chest. So hes more than happy to stay in the little town of Paradise, three hundred miles and half a lifetime away.
Then he gets a call from his old sergeant. It turns out that a young man Alex helped put away will be getting out of prison. That one big case marked the highlight of his career, before his partner was killed, before his marriage fell apart, before he left Detroit, forever. Now that man is about to walk free.
When the sergeant invites Alex downstate to have a drink for old times sake, its an offer he would normally refuse. However, theres a certain female FBI agent he cant stop thinking about, so he gets in his truck and he goes back to Detroit. While there, hes reminded of something about that last case, a seemingly small piece of the puzzle that he never got to share. Its not something anyone wants to hear, but Alex cant let go of this gut feeling that they arrested the wrong man.
And that the real killer not only got away, but went on to kill again.
And again.
And again.
About the Author
STEVE HAMILTONs first novel, A Cold Day in Paradise, won the Private Eye Writers of America/St. Martins Press Best First Private Eye Novel Contest before becoming a USA Today bestseller and winning both an Edgar and a Shamus Award for Best First Novel. His stand-alone novel The Lock Artist was named a New York Times Notable Crime Book, received an Alex Award from the American Library Association, and then went on to win the Edgar Award for Best Novel, making him only the second author (after Ross Thomas) to win Edgars for both Best First Novel and Best Novel. He attended the University of Michigan, where he won the prestigious Hopwood Award for writing, and now lives in Cottekill, New York, with his wife and their two children.