Welcome to the Game

(Paperback, Main)

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Description

Having moved his family from England to Detroit and opened a car dealership, ex-rally driver Spencer Burnham's life was derailed by the death of his beloved wife. Now disconnected from his young daughter and losing control of the cocktail of drugs and alcohol that gets him through the day, he only just keeps Child Protective Services at bay while his business teeters on the edge of bankruptcy.

Then he has a seemingly chance encounter with a charismatic but lethal gangster, Dominic McGrath. Feeling the squeeze from informants, the rise of tech surveillance and a hotshot detective who's made busting him a personal crusade, McGrath's been planning a last heist that would allow a comfortable retirement, provided he can find a very special type of driver - one who's capable, trustworthy . . . and naive.

Spencer quickly proves himself behind the wheel, with his innate sense of timing and precise, high-speed manoeuvres. And McGrath even pays cash, lots of it. But it comes at a price; Spencer finds himself playing in an arena where rookies don't last long. Wising up to the ruthlessness behind McGrath's charming facade, he tries to break free, but McGrath has too much invested to allow him to leave.

As the city swelters in a heat wave, the two men apply their considerable talents to besting each other, while mistakenly assuming they have only each other to beat.

Reviews

[Henderson] mixes a keen sense of the absurd with sly turns of phrase...The vibe is George V. Higgins with a British accent, and the ride, though bumpy at times, gets readers to the destination. * New York Times *
The first-time novelist brings a fresh, hardscrabble voice to Elmore Leonard land...A corrosive debut that makes you look forward to a sequel * Kirkus Reviews *
Henderson makes his flawed and troubled lead easy to sympathize with, and fleshed-out characters match satisfying plot twists. Fans of the Fast & Furious movie franchise will be riveted. * Publishers Weekly *

Author Bio

Craig Henderson is a writer and a presenter of the BBC's 'Books That Made Britain' series. Scottish by birth, he gained an MA in Latin and Ancient History from the University of Edinburgh where he also won two scholarships. Welcome to the Game is his first novel.