Synopses & Reviews
A Breakout Thriller from a Sharp New Talent Maureen Coughlin is in a rut. At twenty-nine, the strong Staten Island native fears she may become a “lifer” at the Narrows, the faux-swank bar where she waits tables five nights a week. Nursing a strained relationship with her mother, she tries to find ambition in the little things—a gym membership, a plan to return to school, a dash of cocaine before work—but there’s no denying that she’s stuck. Then, leaving work one night, Maureen walks in on a tryst between her coworker Dennis and Frank Sebastian, a silver-haired aspiring politician. Fearing repercussions, Sebastian forces her into silence, and Maureen is more than happy to forget what she’s seen—until Dennis turns up dead on the train tracks the next morning. In her search for answers, Maureen finds new meaning in her life. But before she can track down Sebastian, he tracks down her mother. Soon Maureen is bouncing from one corner of Staten Island to the other, trying to protect her mother while staying one step ahead of Sebastian. With The Devil She Knows, Bill Loehfelm has written a pitchblack thriller that evokes the grit of Dennis Lehane in a fresh, compulsively readable voice, with a heroine every inch as tough as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Lisbeth Salander. This is a breakout novel by a writer whom Publishers Weekly has praised for his “superb prose and psychological insights.”
Review
“The deeply conflicted Maureen, in particular, is brilliantly developed—as compelling a character as this reviewer expects to see this year.” —Thomas Gaughan, Booklist (starred review)
“A terrific drama . . . Loehfelm expertly ramps up the suspense, taking the reader on a dark ride . . .” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Bill Loehfelms new book just wont get out of my mind. And the reason is Maureen Coughlin, the character of the year . . . At its base, this wonderful book is about power and lack of it . . . [I hope Loehfelm will] launch this unforgettable woman into a series of her own.” —Diana Pinckley, The Times-Picayune
“In Maureen, Loehfelm has created an unlikely hero who is both appealing and believable . . . He tells [this] story in an original voice that is by turns gritty and lyrical . . . Rarely has a crime novelist launched a career with a trio of books that display such superior craftsmanship.” —Bruce DeSilva, The Associated Press
“At a bar, a tough city girl sees something she really shouldnt see, and immediately theres trouble—well-dressed, connected, and brazenly confident trouble. A tough city girl can get out of trouble, right? Not if shes caught in a dark corner of Staten Island, New York Citys most tribal and secretive borough. So begins Bill Loehfelms page-ripping thriller, The Devil She Knows. Its a fast, rough ride you cant put down.” —Colin Harrison
“The Devil She Knows is nothing short of terrific. An absolutely original voice, and a story that grabs you by the throat and doesnt ever, ever, ever even think of letting go.” —John Lescroart
“Bill Loehfelm, a rising star in crime fiction, just keeps rising higher: The Devil She Knows is a taut, knowing story, and Maureen Coughlin is a hero for the ages, a character who jumps off the page and demands the readers full attention and empathy from the very start.” —Laura Lippman
“A serious talent.” —The Baltimore Sun
Review
“The conspiracy [in The Devil She Knows] is on a smaller scale—and is all the more menacing for being so intimate.” —The Wall Street Journal
“As complex and dirty as politics can be. And as scary.” —New York Daily News
“Bill Loehfelms new book just wont get out of my mind. . . . Maureen Coughlin [is] the character of the year.” —The New Orleans Times-Picayune
“By turns gritty and lyrical . . . Rarely has a crime novelist launched a career with a trio of books that display such superior craftsmanship.” —Bruce DeSilva, author of Rogue Island, Associated Press
“The Devil She Knows is nothing short of terrific. An absolutely original voice, and a story that grabs you by the throat and doesnt ever, ever, ever even think of letting go.” —John Lescroart, author of Nothing But the Truth
Synopsis
An audacious thriller from a major new talent Life isnt panning out for Maureen Coughlin. At twenty-nine, the tough-skinned Staten Island natives only excitement comes from . . . well, not much. A fresh pack of American Spirits, maybe, or a discreet dash of coke before work. If something doesnt change soon, shell end up a “lifer” at the Narrows, the faux-swank bar where she works one long night after another. But just like the island, the Narrows has its seamy side. After work one night, Maureen walks in on a tryst between her co-worker Dennis and Frank Sebastian, a silver-haired politico. When Sebastian demands her silence, Maureen is more than happy to forget what shes seen—until Dennis turns up dead on the train tracks the next morning. The murder sends Maureen careening out of her stultifying routine and into fast-deepening trouble. Soon shes on the run through the seedy underbelly of the borough, desperate to stop Sebastian before Denniss fate becomes her own. With The Devil She Knows, Bill Loehfelm has written a pitch-black thriller in a fresh, compulsively readable voice, with pages that turn themselves. This is the real deal: a breakout novel by a writer whom Publishers Weekly has praised for his “superb prose and psychological insights.”
Synopsis
“A taut, knowing story...Maureen Coughlin is a hero for the ages, a character who jumps off the page and demands the readers full attention.”—Laura Lippman, author of
The Most Dangerous ThingMaureen Coughlins life isnt turning out as planned. At twenty-nine, shes stuck waiting tables in a Staten Island bar, and her only excitement comes from the next cigarette or a discreet dash of coke before her shift. But when a tryst between her coworker Dennis and an aspiring state senator named Frank Sebastian turns deadly, Maureen is jolted out of her routine. Soon shes on the run through the boroughs seedy underbelly, desperate to stop Sebastian. She thinks she has seen the face of evil—and she doesnt know the half of it. A smoldering, hard-boiled crime story with a tough new heroine, The Devil She Knows has suspense to burn.
About the Author
Bill Loehfelm is the author of Fresh Kills, the first winner of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, and another novel, Bloodroot. He was born in Brooklyn and grew up on Staten Island; he lives in New Orleans with his wife, the writer AC Lambeth.