Description
Book SynopsisA hired killer on his final job; a burned-out detective whose wife is dying slowly and in agony; a young boy abandoned by his parents and living alone by his wits. Three people, solitary and disconnected from society.
The detective is looking for the killer, Christian, though he doesn't know that. Christian is trying to find the man who stepped in and took down his target before he had the chance. And the boy, Jimmie, is having the killer's dreams. While they never meet, they are inextricably linked, and as their stories unfold, all find the solace of community.
In what is at one and the same time a coming-of-age novel, a realistic crime novel and a novel of the contemporary Southwest, The Killer Is Dying is above all the story of three men of vastly different age and background, and of the shape their lives take against the unforgiving sunlight and sprawl of America's fifth largest city, Phoenix.
Trade ReviewAtmospheric . . . Sallis develops an interesting kinship between cop and killer -- Susannah Meadows * New York Times *
The Killer is Dying is beautifully written . . . read as an extended prose poem, it's well-nigh perfect -- Laura Wilson * The Guardian *
Beautifully written and subtly brought together -- Peter Millar * The Times *
Unlike those pretenders who play in dark alleys and think they're tough, James Sallis writes from an authentic noir sensibility, a state of mind that hovers between amoral indifference and profound existential despair -- Marilyn Stasio * New York Times *
Wonderful writing that stitches a complex picture of America's south west, with the story of a killer and a cop as part of that tapestry * Crime Fiction Lover *
