Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Pg. 69: Dave White's "When One Man Dies"

The latest feature at the Page 69 Test: Dave White's When One Man Dies.

About the novel, from the author's website:
When one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but is translated into a better language.--John Donne, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions.

When Gerry Figuroa is killed in a hit and run, his pal, Jersey P.I. Jackson Donne, is hired to investigate. Donne soon discovers that Figuroa may not have been quite the innocent he seemed. A second case leads Donne to a dead body on the steps of Drew University.

Again, appearances are deceptive. As he digs deeper, Donne uncovers a drugs connection, and it quickly becomes clear that certain people would rather he dropped his investigation. Events take on a further twist when Donne's ex-cop partner shows up bent on shattering everything Donne holds dear. Donne’s past has been on hold, but now it’s hurtling towards him with a vengeance.
Among the early praise for the novel:
"When I read my first Dave White story, I knew that he was going to be huge someday-like, Robert Parker huge. When One Man Dies is the first bold step in fulfilling that promise. It's the great American private eye novel reborn for the 21st century, with a fast-moving, spare style that punches you in the gut at the same time it squeezes your heart."
--Duane Swierczynski, author of The Blonde

"Everybody wins when a classic form, such as the private-eye novel, meets up with a class act, such as Dave White. In his remarkable debut novel, When One Man Dies, White manages the neat trick of respecting the genre's traditions while daring to nudge it toward something new and unexpected. And Jackson Donne is a wonderful character, someone with whom readers will happily share many beers in the Olde Towne Tavern for years to come. Lots of promise here -- in Donne and White. I'm rooting for both of them."
--Laura Lippman, author of To The Power of Three

"Every new crew of crime writers has one standout. The class of 07's youngest member is Dave White. He made his bones in published short story form before most writers ever find their legs. When One Man Dies steps him up as a made man in the genre ... an awesome debut ... forgetaboutit."
--Charlie Stella, author of Shakedown: A Novel of Crime

"When One Man Dies heralds the introduction of two astonishing new figures in the crime fiction world: New Jersey PI Jackson Donne, whose emotional journey will break your heart, and author Dave White, whose voice has the confidence and assurance many more established writers would kill for."
--Sarah Weinman, Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind

"Every now and then you find a debut novel that carries the clear promise of big things to come. When One Man Dies is one of those. Fast and funny, with plenty of classic action but a setting and character that are entirely new, Dave White is creating a winner with Jackson Donne. Always good to get in on the ground floor."
--Michael Koryta, Edgar-nominated author of A Welcome Grave

"Jackson Donne takes his place alongside the grim and battered P.I.s of yore — your Archers, your Spades — uncovering painful truths and doling out what passes in this tarnished world for justice. Bracing stuff."
--Charles Ardai, founder of Hard Case Crime

"A terrific novel, a unique and artful blend of the PI and the Police Procedural in a plot as nicely tangled and sexually violent as a cat fight, a story as deceptively simple as your first love and as fatal as your last car wreck. It's a great read."
--James Crumley
Visit Dave White's website and his blog.

The Page 69 Test: When One Man Dies.

--Marshal Zeringue