A Billion Ways To Die (Thorndike Press Large Print Mystery) - Hardcover

Chris Knopf's mystery novels have received exceptional awards and accolades, with critics likening his character Sam Aquillo to Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade, Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, and Robert B. Parker's Spenser, while repeatedly comparing Knopf's work to that of Elmore Leonard, John D. MacDonald, and Ross Macdonald. Two Time was one of thirteen mysteries listed as recommended summer reading in the New York Times Book Review, and Publishers Weekly chose it as one of the ''Best 100 Books for 2006.'' Head Wounds won the 2008 Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Mystery. Dead Anyway was listed on the 2012 Best Fiction lists of both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Knopf is a sailor, cabinetmaker, and advertising executive in Connecticut. He and his wife Mary also spend considerable time at their Long Island home in Southampton.

 

''At the start of Knopf's highly inventive third mystery featuring market researcher Arthur Cathcart, armed men seize Cathcart and girlfriend Natsumi Fitzgerald from their sailboat and threaten them with torture unless they reveal the location of a missing billion dollars, of which they know nothing. A temporary reprieve allows the couple, who have been living in the Caribbean under aliases, to assess their situation and conclude that they will never be safe until they get out from under the (false) charges against them back in the States . . . Lending a hand are former FBI agent Shelly Gross, cyber geek Strider, and Cathcart's doctor sister, Evelyn. Throughout, Cathcart proves as nimble on his feet as he is quick witted.'' --Publishers Weekly

''Knopf's first two Cathcart-Fitzgerald tales were widely acclaimed, and this third maintains that standard. Tension starts high and just keeps growing in this smart tale revolving around cybersecurity and cybercrime in which millions of dollars can be gained or lost with a keystroke. Riveting.'' --Booklist (starred review)

"They're back! Tech genius researcher and financial wiz, Arthur Cathcart and his lady love, blackjack dealer and psychologist, Natsumi Fitzgerald. But so are some powerful adversaries, out for billions, and out for blood. Knopf's crafted an exciting caper here that moves all over the world. It's Arthur's embrace of imagination as well as scientific expertise that proves most endearing in our over-specialized, data-centered world. Not your typical murder mystery but for that, well worth reading." --Joan Baum, NPR

"The pace is fast, and writing smooth. Keeps the reader turning the pages. Highly recommended." --Detective Mystery Stories