Quiver

"With its clever plotting and blood-and-guts characters, Quiver will certainly put Peter Leonard on the map." —Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times–bestselling author

One of the most riveting and powerful new voices in crime fiction, Peter Leonard delivers a razor-sharp debut thriller.


Kate McCall's husband has been killed by her son, Luke, in a tragic bow-hunting accident. While Kate struggles with her son's surly guilt, her first love, Jack, an ex-con, reappears, along with a crew of his former "colleagues." While Jack must convince his partners in crime that he really did lose the heist money, his appearance sets into motion a series of events culminating in a life-and-death confrontation with a gang of killers.


Leonard displays remarkable maturity for a first-time novelist in both the plotting of the story and the language of his protagonists. The twists and turns of a love affair, an unrequited crush, and a kidnapping/extortion plot complement a tightly drawn, intimate cast of memorably quick and dim-witted characters.

"Peter Leonard's first novel, Quiver, amply shows that he's the great Elmore's son. This book is a wicked trip . . . unique and engaging. I salute Peter Leonard at the beginning of what will obviously be a fine career." —Jim Harrison, New York Times–bestselling author of Legends of the Fall
"Quiver's supercharged plot, rhythmic dialogue, and cool-under-pressure characters kept me reading into the night. An impressive, exciting debut from Peter Leonard." —George Pelecanos, award-winning writer/producer of The Wire
"The best parts of the novel concern the crooks, who, if not as gloriously quirky as those in Elmore Leonard's novels, are sometimes funny and sometimes scary." —The Washington Post