Trust Me
Minotaur Books, March 2009
Peter Leonard showed remarkable maturity for a first-time novelist in his debut novel Quiver. In Trust Me, he reaches for new heights as he crafts a classic noir thriller loaded with double- and triple-crosses.
The first mistake Karen Delaney made was entrusting $300,000 to her boyfriend, Samir, the head of an illegal bookmaking operation. The second was breaking up with him -- because Samir holds a $300,000 grudge. A few months later, Karen sees a way to get her money back when two thieves break into her house in the middle of the night. She proposes a scheme to steal Samir's safe, but Karen soon realizes she's in way over her head as things begin to spin out of control.
Trust Me moves at breakneck speed through the affluent suburbs of Detroit and Chicago as Karen is pursued by O'Clair, an ex-con/ex-cop who works for Samir and wants the money for his own retirement; by Ricky, Samir's nephew, who sees the money as a way to pay off his own escalating gambling debts; by the thieves who've been double-crossed; and by two ruthless hit men who view the money as their stake in the American dream.
With relentless suspense, striking characters, and plot twists that will leave you white-knuckled, Trust Me marks the continuation of a powerful new voice in crime fiction and more than delivers on the promise of Peter Leonard's talent.
hardcover | ISBN: 9780312379032 | Publication Date: March 2009
Reviews:
"Leonard's second effort establishes him as a genuinely gifted storyteller. Although the book is similar in many ways to the hard-edged, witty, character-driven novels of Leonard's father, Elmore, it has its own voice and its own stylistic flourishes . . . . In time, if you find yourself referring to 'that really cool mystery writer, Leonard,'
you might have to explain which one you're talking about."
--Booklist
"There are many carefully crafted plot twists and unexpected scenes; Leonard's action-packed, fast-paced crime novel is virtually impossible to put down."
--Lansing State Journal
"Take three deep breaths, exhale slowly, pause, take a deeper breath then open this book. Trust me--you need controlled breathing to get you through Peter Leonard's rollicking thriller. Breathtaking is a reviewer's cliche. But it is simply the best way to describe the pace of Leonard's latest offering."
--The Washington Times
"The dialogue rings pitch-perfect, the pacing of the plot approaches perfection . . . So far, Trust Me ranks as thriller of the year. Trust me."
--St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
