The Embiggened O # 2,001: We’re Coming To America

[Declan Burke]

A Minister for Propaganda Elf writes: Herewith be the cover of the forthcoming U.S. edition of THE BIG O, which hits a shelf near you – providing you’re on the North American landmass – on September 22nd, with which the Grand Viz (aka Declan Burke) is tremendously pleased, as it was his favourite of the five options the fiendishly clever cover-art boffins at Harcourt devised. Nice colour scheme, chaps. Quoth the blurb elves: Karen’s easy life as a receptionist and armed robber is about to change. Rossi, her ex, is getting out of prison any day now. He’ll be looking for his motorcycle, his gun, revenge, and the sixty grand he says is his. But he won’t be expecting Ray, the new guy Karen’s just met, to be in his way. No stranger to the underworld himself, Ray wants out of the kidnapping game now that some dangerous new bosses are moving in.
Meanwhile Frank, a disgraced plastic surgeon, hires Ray to kidnap his ex-wife for the insurance money. But the ex-wife also happens to be Karen’s best friend. Can Karen and Ray trust each other enough to work together on one last job? Or will love, as always, ruin everything?
From a writer hailed as “Elmore Leonard with a harder Irish edge” (Irish Mail on Sunday), Declan Burke’s THE BIG O is crime fiction at its darkest and funniest.

Advance Praise for THE BIG O

“One of the sharpest, wittiest, and most unusual Irish crime novels of recent years . . . Declan Burke is ideally poised to make the transition to a larger international stage.” —John Connolly, bestselling author of THE UNQUIET

“Part hard-boiled caper, part thriller, part classic noir, and flat out fun. From first page to last, The Big O grabs hold and won’t let go.”—Reed Farrel Coleman, author of SOUL PATCH

“Faster than a stray bullet, wittier than Oscar Wilde and written by a talent destined for fame.”—Irish Examiner

In other news, the Grand Viz would have it known that he will be callously abandoning his infant daughter Lilyput and the radiant Mrs Viz to attend the Bouchercon in Baltimore, and is planning to travel around the northeast for a week or so afterwards, for the most part in the company of the ever-lovely Kelli Stanley, doing readings and sundry other events designed to keep Princess Lilyput in the style of diaper to which she is accustomed. A number of venues have been good enough to confirm that they will be widening their doors to accommodate the Grand Vizier’s monstrous ego, but any and all suggestions as to interesting venues specialising in crime and mystery fiction would be gratefully accepted. We thank you for your cooperation. Peace, out.

[Declan Burke]

Hi Pepper, thanks for that. I'm very pleased with the cover, not least because it suggests that whoever designed it read the book quite closely ... In fact, someone has suggested that the cover might be a spoiler!

Hope all is good with you,

Cheers, Dec

[Pepper Smith]

Very cool. I like the cover. I'm glad this is coming out in the States.