Synopses & Reviews
Pearce, an ex-con and Edinburgh hard man who's still recovering from the recent loss of his mother, is invited by the dysfunctional Baxter family to protect their pregnant sixteen-year-old daughter from her martial-arts-expert husband, Wallace--a man ten years her senior with a penchant for killing family pets. Having found out that the baby's not his, Wallace has sworn vengeance. Pearce declines the job: He's no babysitter. But when Wallace kills Pearce's dog, he goes too far. Now it's personal.
Revenge is part of the grieving process. But has Pearce finally met his match?
Time to find out how many psychedelic drugs one man can take.
Time to find out why Jesus is living in a cage in Wallace's basement.
Time to find out who the real hard man is.
Review
PRAISE FOR
HARD MAN "
Hard Man is an Edinburgh festival of lip-smacking gruesomeness and black comedy, where every light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train."Val McDermid, author of
The Grave Tattoo
"The characters of Allan Guthries Hard Man suffer all the consequences that pluck and thick-skulled stupidity can bring upon them, and Guthrie describes it all with skill, wit, and originality: I promise this is a story you haven't read before."Thomas Perry, bestselling author of Silence
Synopsis
May Baxter needs help. Sixteen years old and pregnant, she is on the run from her husband, Wallace, a psychopath ten years her senior who happens to be a martial-arts expert. Having found out that May's baby isn't his, Wallace has sworn vengeance.Enter hard man Pearce, just out of prison and still recovering from the recent loss of his mother. He declines the bodyguard job May's father offers him; he's no babysitter. But when Wallace kills Pearce's three-legged dog, things get personal.
About the Author
ALLAN GUTHRIE is the author of Two-Way Split and Kiss Her Goodbye, which was nominated for Edgar, Anthony, and Gumshoe Awards. He lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.