You Were Never Really Here

Ames is an adept purveyor of the very noir, particularly scenes of violence. He achieves more in less than 100 pages than most crime novels three times the length do * The Times, Crime Books of the Year 2016 *
Short, taut and in only the darkest shades of noir * Sunday Times Crime Club *
A striking and powerful noir debut that can be consumed in a single sitting... Ames reveals himself here as a stylish thriller writer * Daily Mail *
Fast-moving, agreeably violent and perfectly pared-down novella * Spectator *
Ice-cold modern noir... Really dark. But also fun! * Mr. Hyde *
Jonathan Ames' superbly pared-down, striking and powerful noir debut novella, is short, less than 100 pages, brutal and redemptive and packed with corruption, revenge and the very darkest of man's inner demons... After this brilliant and stunningly noir piece of writing, the future direction of his work now seems clear * Crime Review *
Lurid and minimal, You Were Never Really Here stays focused for its short, ghoulish run * Financial Times *
Short and snappy * Sunday Star *
Contains no glamour... just bursts of dark poetry... and a brutal pragmatism befitting the character * Crime Scene magazine *
Very noir, very hard-boiled, and features plenty of backstory about the paedo-busting Joe, some lovely and informative digressions about the number of deviant millionaires in Manhattan and a rousing righteous climax that could have come straight from Dirty Harry. It was ripe, in other words, for the movies * The Times *
A fast paced thriller * Jewish News *
Ames takes a dark route... has many of his usual traits - apart from humour * Jewish Telegraph *
Manages to pack in more than most in terms of plot and characterisation; there's even plenty of scope for a sequel and perhaps even an entire series * ON Magazine *
Jonathan Ames' short electric shock of a source novel * Variety *
The most deceptive lightweight boxer - punching with the heft of someone of much larger caliber * Bookbag *
The violence throughout is swift and uncompromising, making this a real read-in-one-sitting thriller * Raven Crime Reads (blog) *
Gripping, violent, fast and full of action... Superb * Bibliophile Book Club (blog) *
Punchy prose and a lead character that could carry a series * Ebookwyrm (blog) *
Evident cinematic potential... a quick and easy read * Bibliodaze (blog) *
Ames is a skilled literary impressionist: he can do a good Bukowski and a surprisingly poignant PG Wodehouse. You Were Never Really Here is Ames's take on a whole genre: noir... Ames's prose flies at breakneck speed -- James Reith * Guardian *
This fast moving 92 page crime mystery novella is action packed and highly readable. It will appeal to those who, like me, enjoy hard-boiled thrillers in the style of Chandler * Promoting Crime Fiction (blog) *
Bristles with literary energy... in the same way that Ross Macdonald and Dashiell Hammett mastered... Every line of dialogue snaps like a junkie heartbeat * Hits the Fan (blog) *
You Were Never Really Here achieves a perfect mix of fast-paced crime thriller with the literary subtleties that are too often missing from the genre * Pendora Magazine *
This is modern noir with an old-school style, and what a style... An action-packed story that doesn't waste a word. Gritty, dark and punchy, it's a devour in one sitting read * Crime Thriller Hound, Book of the Week *
A good choice for lovers of Michael Connelly, Lee Child or Vince Flynn who are interested in character-driven thrillers * Chicago Tribune *
A dark thriller full of attitude and heart. ... Ames is at his best here, creating a complex and sympathetic character and a detail-rich, believable story that is hard to forget * San Francisco Chronicle *
Slick, speedy, and as bluntly traumatic as the hammer its protagonist wields * A History of my Life in 100 Objects (blog) *
Taut and compelling noir that packs quite a punch * JacquiWine's Journal (blog) *
The best of its kind that I have read since Point Blank * malkintowersbookblog.com (blog) *
Like most people, I like my Jonathan Ames LONG, but it's amazing what he can do in 18,000 words, too. This piece would make Raymond Chandler happy * Gary Shteyngart, author of 'Super Sad True Love Story' *