Black Teeth

‘This exhilaratingly twisted, Chandler-influenced Aussie noir has Jason—a socially anxious Melbourne tech nerd with a vivid and occasionally pungent turn of phrase—caught up in two men’s desire for vengeance, with a bracingly downbeat femme fatale complicating the action. Read to the end of chapter one and you’ll be hooked.’ Sunday Times Crime Club

Jason Ginaff doesn’t get out much. Partly because of the anxiety, mainly because he works at home. Researching people on the internet. Job candidates doing bucket bongs on Instagram accounts they thought they’d deleted; the prospective new head of sales stripping for a hens’ night…

He’s been searching for something on his own time, too.

Now he’s found it: the phone number of the man he believes to be his father.

Which is how he gets mixed up with Rudy Alamein. They’ve been looking for the same man. 

Difference being, Rudy wants to kill him.

Black Teeth is a witty, dynamic contemporary thriller by an emerging master of the form. Beautifully written and darkly funny, it’s both a literary triumph and an irresistible read.

Zane Lovitt was a documentary filmmaker before turning his hand to crime fiction. His debut novel, The Midnight Promise, won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction, and led to Zane being named one of the Best Young Novelists of 2013 by the Sydney Morning Herald. Zane Lovitt lives in Melbourne.

‘[Lovitt has] an attentive ear for language and a nuanced understanding of how quite ordinary extraordinary people may find themselves up to their necks in trouble. This is original Australian crime fiction of the first order.’ Age

‘A fast-paced, elaborate tale centred on misplaced ethics, wrongful convictions and multigenerational trauma…Superb characterisation and meticulously curated exchanges heighten the tension throughout, while recognisable Melbourne landmarks and Australian colloquialisms imbue the narrative with an unsettling familiarity—culminating in a surprising ending that will turn every expectation on its head.’ Big Issue

‘It’s Aussie noir, but much funnier than your standard noir, and Lovitt is a wonderfully inventive writer.’ New Zealand Listener

‘Incredible. Lovitt takes a wicked sense of humour and clever plotting to once again brilliantly subvert the crime genre…Move over Peter Temple, your heir apparent has arrived and is breaking all the rules of crime fiction with a talent and skill that is unique, daring and quite simply a pleasure to behold on the page.’ Jon Page, A Couple of Pages

‘What really sets Lovitt’s novels apart from the crowd is his writing style. In Black Teeth his use of plain and urban language is fresh and engaging and his snappy character dialogue a pleasure to read. If you find unassuming intelligence and a dark and dry sense of humour as appealing as I do, then Lovitt’s narrative voice will have you enthralled.’ Booklover Book Reviews

‘Lovitt respects and craftily manipulates conventions of crime fiction, but brings to them idiosyncratic and observant eyes and ears. Black Teeth confirms his status in a high quality local literary field.’ Australian

‘[A] quirky, contemporary thriller.’ Best Books of 2016, New Zealand Listener

‘An unhinged, darkly comic thriller.’ Best Crime Books of 2016, Readings

‘A quintessential Melbourne novel. The language is modern and raw. The juggling of the events and episodes is engrossing. Lovitt weaves the reality of modern life into the story.’ Law Institute Journal

‘Of all the novels I’ve read that could be called neo-noir, Black Teeth is the one that most succeeds in combining the new with the noir.’ Crime Fiction Lover

‘It takes a lot to surprise me but Black Teeth did exactly that…a sharp, darkly funny novel…cleverly written.’ Shots Magazine