THE HACKMAN BLUES cover

We now have a cover for Ken Bruen's The Hackman Blues, which makes its U.S. debut next summer. The BFP edition will include a new foreword by crime writer Ray Banks and a new afterword by Bruen. The cover was designed by Michael Kellner, who worked on many books for Dennis McMillan Publications! Isn't it positively wonderful?? The book's pretty darn good, too...

"I was drowning in a sea of mediocre writing and half-arsed attempts at ersatz amorality when The Hackman Blues sideswiped me like the worst kind of mugger. The sheer strength of the prose knocked me to the ground, battered and bruised... and yet I found myself pleading for more. The Hackman Blues is British noir at its most brutal and honest, populated by characters you could never love but find yourself unable to leave. This is the book that reminded why I love crime fiction... And know The Hackman Blues is the book that will change the way you read crime fiction, that will show up most other writers trading in the darkness of the soul as rank amateurs compared to Ken Bruen. This is noir. This is Bruen. This is The Hackman Blues." -- Russel McLean, author of The Good Son and The Lost Sister

"It’s not a book that wants you to be comfortable. In fact, it wants to hurt you with its relentless nihilism. Which is why this one’s my favourite. To me, it’s what crime fiction should be -- visceral and unrepentant. We should be shown that crime is a filthy, warped and damaging thing. And The Hackman Blues does this in spades. So enjoy, but don’t say you weren’t warned." -- from the foreword by Ray Banks, author of Saturday's Child