Shovel Ready

(Paperback)

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Description

'I don't want to know your reasons. I don't care. Think of me as a bullet. Just point.'

Spademan used to be a garbage man. That was before the dirty bomb hit Times Square, before his wife was killed, before New York became a burnt-out shell. Now the wealthy spend their days tapped into virtual reality; the rest have to fend for themselves in the streets. Now there's nothing but garbage.

So he became a hit man. He doesn't ask questions, he works quickly, and he's handy with a box-cutter.

When he's hired to kill the daughter of a high-profile evangelist, Spademan's life is upended. He will have to navigate two worlds - both the slick fantasy and the wasteland reality - to finish the job, clear his conscience, and make sure he's not the one who winds up in the ground.

Reviews

Hardboiled as f*** with writing as fierce and sharp as a paper-cut

Savage future noir that crackles with deadpan wit

Debut novels as sleek, resonant and accomplished as this are a rare gift

Dark and often funny, with sparse, sharp language ... This is good, bitter fun

Elegant, lean and clever noir

Author Bio

ADAM STERNBERGH is the culture editor of the New York Times Magazine. Formally an editor-at-large for New York, his writing has been featured in several other publications, including GQ and The Times, and on the radio programme This American Life. He lives in Brooklyn and is at work on a second Spademan novel.