Quinsigamond, an imaginary industrial city in New England, has been the setting for the handful of deeply fascinating novels by US author O'Connell, a sadly far from prolific writer who sits aside from all others in the crime writing landscape. Detective Leonore Thomas who patrols the desolate beat of the city's decaying down-and-out lands is addicted to rough sex and narcotics as she hunts down the source of a new drug, Lingo, a psychedelic concoction that is more than mind-blowing and almost a substitute for death. Her weird twin brother Ike, who works for the post office, is an equally unsettling and unpredictable character and their interactions together with a palette of bizarre urban pirates and villains make for an uncomfortable ride. Seldom have plot and atmosphere been such awkward bedfellows and provided such a memorable sense of dread. Initially published in 1998, the novel feels as modern as ever.
Maxim Jakubowski's March 2016 Book of the Month.
| Primary Genre | Fiction |
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A stunningly original nightmare novel about the impact of a new synthetic drug - Lingo - on the depressed New England factory town of Quinsigamond, where it was secretly developed. Besides offering a potent high, Lingo also delivers a shot to the brain cells governing lingusitic comprehension and verbal skill. Until murderous rages and babbling insanity take over, this mind-expanding feature makes the drug dangerously seductive to the unusually literate cops, scientists and dope dealers competing to find its distribution source.
Box Nine features in the following genres: Fiction, Crime and Mystery, Thriller and Suspense, eBooks of the Month, Recommendations
Box Nine is available in Paperback, Ebook
Box Nine was written by Jack O'Connell and published by No Exit Press
£4.99
