The Exiled

Charles, the pseudonym of Christopher Narozny (Jonah Man), chronicles the fraught career of Wes Raney, a former New York City narcotics detective, in this dark gem of a novel. In Brooklyn in 1984, Wes, a drug-addicted undercover cop, attempted to bust a sadistic crime boss with results that led to his disgrace and his exile to rural New Mexico, where he became a homicide detective. In 2002, he investigates multiple murders in what appears to be a drug deal gone bad. The case reawakens something long dormant in Raney, and as he reevaluates the wreckage of his past, he’s forced to confront old demons once again. Powered by relentless pacing and fully realized characters, this brutal narrative illuminates the harrowing realms of drug addiction and organized crime. Readers won’t soon forget Raney’s blood-soaked and coke-fueled journey through self-loathing to some semblance of salvation. [em]Agent: Peter McGuigan, Foundry Literary + Media. (Apr.) [/em]