Drake, by Peter McLean
“Peter McLean’s debut novel is an absolute gem that hits the ground running,
a gritty, grungy, funny, sweary noir thriller with added demons. Don Drake is a
wonderful creation. You wouldn’t trust him with your life – he can’t even be trusted
with his own life. It’s a wonderful, headlong read and I enjoyed it immensely.
Very near the top of the half dozen best books I’ve read this year.”
Dave Hutchinson, author of Europe in Autumn and Europe at Midnighter
“Snarky, pacy and hellishly fun. Drake is just the sort of hero,
with just the sort of life, to make you feel good about yourself.
Dark and delightful, like a naughty treat, this is a rollicking story.”
Francis Knight, author of the Rojan Dizon series
Hitman Don Drake owes a gambling debt to a demon. Forced to carry out one more assassination to clear his debt, Don unwittingly kills an innocent child and brings the Furies of Greek myth down upon himself.
Rescued by an almost-fallen angel called Trixie, Don and his magical accomplice the Burned Man, an imprisoned archdemon, are forced to deal with Lucifer himself whilst battling a powerful evil magician.
Now Don must foil Lucifer’s plan to complete Trixie’s fall and save her soul whilst preventing the Burned Man from breaking free from captivity and wreaking havoc on the entire world.
File Under: Urban Fantasy [ One Last Hit / Both Ends Burning / Going Underground / London’s Finest ]
Cover Art: Raid71
Book Info:
The first book in the Burned Man Series
UK Print
Date: 7th January 2016
ISBN: 9780857665102
Format: Medium (B-Format) Paperback
R.R.P.: £8.99
North American Print
Date: 5th January 2016
ISBN: 9780857665119
Format: Small (Mass-Market) Paperback
R.R.P.: US$7.99 / CAN$9.99
Ebook
Date: 5th January 2016
ISBN: 9780857665126
Format: Epub & Mobi
R.R.P.: £5.49 / US$6.99
Buying Info:
UK Print & Ebook
Amazon.co.uk | Book Depository | Waterstones | WHSmith
North American Print & Ebook
Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | BarnesandNoble.com | IndieBound.org
Global DRM-Free Epub & Mobi Ebook
Available from the Robot Trading Company
Author Info:
Peter McLean: WWW | Twitter | Facebook
Discuss and Share:
Discuss and Review Drake a Goodreads.com
Read an Extract:
Sample Chapters to follow…
Praise and Reviews:
“McLean has crafted a refreshing urban fantasy, with a wonderfully flawed, foul-mouthed protagonist who, despite some dubious life choices, is not quite beyond redemption. Imagine Mal Reynolds had dabbled in the occult and this would have been the result. Drake features equally complex female characters, ensuring the Burned Man is one series I shall be certain to follow.”
– Susan Murray, author of The Waterborne Blade and Waterborne Exile
“Fug, this was good. The movement is non-stop and the characters, myriad. The author does a great job developing characters that reside in a fantastic world. I WANT MORE!”
– Koeur’s Book Reviews
The plot is intriguing and the pace is fast. There is plenty of action, in fact, frankly, never a dull moment.”
– The Speculative Herald
“A darkly funny and violent tale with black magic, fallen angels, demons and angry girlfriends, complete with some loathsome characters you will love to hate.”
– Books, Bones & Buffy
“Peter’s writing is refreshing as it slams you squarely between your eyes without any preamble. I went in without any expectation and then I just couldn’t stop myself as I went with the flow. I really liked this dark debut from this highly talented find from the stables of Angry Robot. Peter McLean makes an emphatic statement of things to come in the future with this first instalment of the Burned Man series. And I cannot wait to see where he drives this one to, setting things up nicely for the next books in the series.”
– Smorgasbord Fantasia
“What connects Chandler, Guy Ritchie, Harry Potter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer? “Not much” is probably the answer, until now. A punchy debut novel.”
– SFX Magazine
“A great read.”
– A Book Drunkard
I have to say, I really enjoyed this novel. When the story first opened, I thought Drake was going to be just another stoic Sam Spade type. Not so! Imagine if Jesse Pinkman, the young, sensitive delinquent hero of Breaking Bad, was in the soul-destroying business of dark magic instead of making meth. Drake is a bang-up job indeed.”
– Village Book Review