A Violent Masterpiece

"With A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE, Jordan Harper establishes that he is not only the modern master of the unique neon noir of LA or the rough hewn wisdom of the hills but can convincingly make a claim to be one of the finest authors working today "—S.A. Cosby author of KING OF ASHES

“Misogyny, abuse, and skulduggery—perennial subjects in crime novels—are made fresh in this fiendish, gorgeously written descent into hell. Harper's blistering narrative. . .reads like pure rage cooled into crystalline prose, each sentence a thrilling indictment of the corruption we live in. This is the noir novel for our times.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Pick up this barnburner now. The only book that equals it for sheer terror is The Silence of the Lambs.”—Stephen King

"What a novel. Sun-flecked, blood-drenched, night-saturated, A Violent Masterpiece is page-turning Hollywood noir for an age of crime scene livestreams and billionaires without boundaries. And it’s a love-and-rage letter to Los Angeles: fierce, vivid, unforgettable."—Meg Gardiner, author of Heat 2

"A noir dissection of Hollywood for a new generation, A Violent Masterpiece will define the LA novel for a long, long time. Hyperspeed, lush, and deadly, it lives up to the title--I loved this book."—Sara Gran, author of The Book of the Most Precious Substance

"Jordan Harper is many crime writers’ favorite author, and I’m a charter member of that club. I’ve been appreciating his work for a long time, but I was absolutely blown away by A Violent Masterpiece. This book may be his best yet, and that’s really saying something. Move over, James Ellroy, we might have the quintessential L.A. crime novel here. Amazing action, characters, and prose—this one’s got it all. An incredible book.”—David Heska Wanbli Weiden, author of Winter Counts

"What is there to say, when you read a book like this, other than to call it like you see it: this is a violent masterpiece, and Jordan Harper is a generational talent."—Rob Hart, author of the Assassins Anonymous series

“Edgar winner Harper’s riveting latest (after The Last King of California) follows a trio of Los Angeles strivers who investigate a series of horrific crimes…. As Harper’s three leads converge, each becomes both weapon and target for Tinseltown’s corrupt puppet masters. Razor-sharp dialogue and vivid prose (“The city blurs in the dashcam display.... Like everything has its own light. Like the fire is already burning”) conjure an intoxicating atmosphere of glamor and decay, while Harper’s distinct characters elicit deep emotional investment. The result is a glittering neo-noir with staying power.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Harper's latest displays his sublime storytelling talents."—Library Journal, Starred Review

"It's a feat of storytelling that each voice feels entirely authentic, and that the threads of their narratives come to intersect with such urgency. Every single page trembles." —The Maris Review

“[Harper's] prose radiates an ecstatic pessimism, as if lit up from within by the relief of not having to sugarcoat things with comforting lies.”—The New Yorker

“This walk on Hollywood’s very dark side highlights one of Harper’s great gifts: making readers care about even the most compromised among us. Do the allusions and shout-outs to current events and personalities seem a little too close for comfort? I certainly hope so!"—Paula Woods, LA Times

"This addictive page-turner offers an ugly vision of American soullessness but also leaves room for hope."—Kirkus Reviews

“Jordan Harper, the modern-day master of Los Angeles crime fiction, takes on his most ambitious story yet, a kaleidoscopic vision of the city’s underground. Crimes and voices braid together to form an unsettling new beast, as Harper channels his inner Ellroy and emerges with a wholly new and original style that captures something of the city’s corrupt soul.”—CrimeReads

"A contemporary LA noir on steroids here, from three alternating, expert perspectives…The imagery throughout includes worms, rot, disease, plague, vampires, and of course, darkness. A fascinating “Creepy Crawl,”…like staring too long at the depravity depicted in Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights."—Booklist

“Bleak, harrowing, and a memorable page turner.”—HorrorDNA

“Almost every page of A Violent Masterpiece has a spark and crackle of language. . . a new generation is taking Chandler's path: walking down today's mean streets and writing down everything they see.”—The Atlantic

“A Violent Masterpiece evokes dirty truths about the celebrity-obsessed city. Harper transforms the reader's sense of safety and security into the hunger of the voyeur.”—Alta Magazine

“Unflinchingly delves into a corrupt world where amorality and brutality rule.”—South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“It really is that good.”—BookPage, Starred Review

“Raymond Chandler for the Ketamine Queen set.”—The Ankler

“Jordan Harper is phenomenal. . .This new novel sizzles with the blazing intensity of high noon in Death Valley. . .so brilliantly conceived I am reluctant to say more.”—Dayton Daily News