Sunday, January 13, 2008

Pg. 69: Reed Farrel Coleman's "Redemption Street"

The current feature at the Page 69 Test: Reed Farrel Coleman's Redemption Street.

About the book, from the author's website:
In Redemption Street, ex-NYPD officer and freshly minted PI Moe Prager, travels up to a decaying Borscht Belt hotel to uncover the truth behind a decades old fire that killed seventeen people, including his high school crush. Away from his beloved Brooklyn and out of his element, Moe finds that the locals aren't as eager to dredge up the painful past or to stir up the embers of that long dead fire as he seems to be. In fact the cast of locals-a washed up comedian, an ambitious politician, a corrupt cop, a pint-sized Hitler, the leader of a mysterious Jewish cult-seem rather intent on doing their level best to make certain the circumstances surrounding the fire stay buried along with the charred bodies of the dead. Moe Prager's gift, however, is coaxing secrets out of the silent past. But will the truth lead to Redemption Street or his own dead end?
Among the praise for Redemption Street:
"Reed Farrel Coleman makes claim to a unique corner of the private detective genre with Redemption Street. With great poignancy and passion he constructs a tale that fittingly underlines how we are all captives of the past."
—Michael Connelly, New York Times best-selling author of The Overlook


"Moe Prager is a family man who can find the humanity in almost everyone he meets; he is a far from perfect hero, but an utterly appealing one. Let's hope that his soft heart and lively mind continue to lure him out of his wine shop for many, many more cases."
—Laura Lippman, New York Times best-selling author of Another Thing to Fall


"What a pleasure to have the second Moe Prager novel finally in paperback. In a field crowded with blowhards and phony tough guys, Reed Farrel Coleman's hero stands out for his plainspoken honesty, his straight-no-chaser humor and his essential humanity. Without a doubt, he has a right to occupy the barstool Matt Scudder left behind years ago. In fact, in his quiet unassuming way, Moe is one of the most engaging private eyes around."
—Peter Blauner, Edgar Award-winning author of Slipping into Darkness and Slow Motion Riot


"Coleman is a born writer. His books are among the best the detective genre has to offer at the moment; no, wait. Now that I think about it they're in the top rank of any kind of fiction currently published. Pick up this book, damn it."
—Scott Phillips, award-winning author of The Ice Harvest and Cottonwood


"Moe Prager is the thinking person's P.I. And what he thinks about — love, loyalty, faith, betrayal — are complex and vital issues, and beautifully handled."
—S. J. Rozan, Edgar Award-winning author of In This Rain


"Reed Farrel Coleman goes right to the darkest corners of the human heart — to the obsessions, the tragedies, the buried secrets from the past. Through it all he maintains such a pure humanity in Moe Prager — the character is as alive to me as an old friend. I flat out loved the first Prager book, but somehow he's made this one even better."
—Steve Hamilton, Edgar Award-winning author of Night Work


"One of the most daring writers around.... He freely admits his love of poetry and it resonates in his novels like the best song you'll ever hear. Plus, he has a thread of compassion that breaks your heart to smithereens ... He writes the books we all aspire to."
—Ken Bruen, Shamus Award-winning author of Cross and Ammunition

Redemption Street is the second of Coleman's Moe Prager novels.

Learn more about the novel and author at Reed Farrel Coleman's website.

The Page 69 Test: Redemption Street.

--Marshal Zeringue