Hollow Man

Starred review from July 13, 2015
Dominic, the unreliable narrator of this devilishly clever and suspenseful standalone from Pryor (The Bookseller and four other Hugo Marston novels), is a Brit who moved to Austin, Tex., as a teenager. Now a successful prosecutor, he learns to his dismay that he has been reassigned to the Juvenile Justice Center—a demotion in both status and pay. A ladies’ man and singer-songwriter who performs in local clubs for the exposure, Dominic also has a gap in his soul (“It’s like I’m hollow”). When best friend Gus Cronstedt, an immigration lawyer, presents the idea for a payroll heist, Dominic—now strapped for cash—quickly hijacks the operation. Dominic drafts his odd-duck roommate with whom he barely speaks, Tristan Bell, and ex-cop Otto Bland as his cohorts, with a mysterious seductress in a green dress looped in as well. But the ostensibly foolproof robbery soon hits snag after snag, topped by a double homicide. As the mishaps escalate for the conspirators, so does the suspense, culminating in a denouement worthy of the neo-noir film classic The Usual Suspects. Agent: Ann Collette, Rees Literary Agency.

July 1, 2015
Austin's music scene provides the backdrop for a creepy psychological thriller. Dominic is a member of the English landed gentry transplanted to Texas, where he's a prosecutor who enjoys playing his guitar in local clubs. He's also a psychopath. Well-aware of his condition, he does his best to resist temptation until an innocent conversation with a close friend leads to big trouble. Dominic has just been reassigned to juvenile court, and the cut in salary strains his resources. So when his best friend, immigration lawyer Gus Cronstedt, tells him about a sleazy client who collects the rents on more than 150 trailers in cash, they hatch a plot to steal the money. Dominic comes up with what he thinks is a perfect plan with a little help from a stunning young woman he meets because her brother's in the system. When Gus backs out, Dominic ends up enlisting his roommate, Tristan, a computer geek with a major gambling addiction, and Otto, a security guard about to be fired from his dead-end job. Despite the best-laid plans, things go wrong, and two men end up dead. Dominic hurriedly buries the money in a nearby patch of woods, then he and his helpers work at avoiding getting caught and charged with capital murder. In a departure from his Hugo Marston series (The Reluctant Matador, 2015, etc.), Pryor has produced an audacious stand-alone that dares the reader to sympathize with a coldblooded killer whose lack of empathy allows his cunning to run free.

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March 1, 2016
Fans of characters such as TV's Dexter, Sherlock, and House will take a shine to Dominic, a British expat living in Austin, TX, and working for the DA's office. He's having a terrible day: he has to switch to a job that pays less money, and he's barred from playing in a local club. On the plus side, there's a mysterious woman he takes an interest in- she's intriguing, sexy, and the older sister of a boy appearing in juvenile court, where Dominic happens to work. They, and his friend Gus, begin to plan a heist, one that seems simple and will solve Dominic's money woes. Of course, nothing goes as planned, and the protagonist has to tidy things up if he's going to avoid detection and jail. The twists and complications are a little fanciful, but readers will enjoy the mix of legal information and heist. Is Dominic a psychopath? His lack of emotion and empathy might suggest yes. Will he get the girl? Teens will happily read on to find out. VERDICT A great choice for those who want more suspense than mystery and who don't feel they have to empathize with or like the main character.-"Laura Pearle, Milton Academy, MA"

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2015
Dominic is not your grandmother's psychopath: he's a prosecutor and a musician, and he lives a seemingly normal life in Austin, Texas, steadfastly resisting all criminal temptationsuntil he has a very bad day. He learns that his estranged parents have unexpectedly died; he's demoted to juvenile court; and he's accused of stealing another musician's song. After all that, he's putty in the hands of a game-playing femme fatale with a plan for robbing a slumlord who's known to carry large sums of cash. His resolve to stay under the radar weakened, Dominic lets the temptation of dangerous thrills (a psychopath's greatest weakness) overtake him, even as the plot seems to be spiraling out of control, and one of his accomplices threatens to expose the plan. Readers will feel themselves worked over by the wily, untrustworthy narrator, but it's an interest-piquing unease. This noirish twisty tale will appeal to those who enjoy Jeff Lindsay's Dexter series, Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl (2012), and Pryor's own Sherlockian international thriller series starring Hugo Marston (The Bookseller, 2012).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

April 1, 2016

Fans of characters such as TV's Dexter, Sherlock, and House will take a shine to Dominic, a British expat living in Austin, TX, and working for the DA's office. He's having a terrible day: he has to switch to a job that pays less money, and he's barred from playing in a local music club. On the plus side, there's a mysterious woman he takes an interest in-she's intriguing, sexy, and the older sister of a boy appearing in juvenile court, where Dominic happens to work. They, and his friend Gus, begin to plan a heist, one that seems simple and will solve Dominic's money woes. Of course, nothing goes as planned, and the protagonist has to tidy things up if he's going to avoid detection and jail. The twists and complications are a little fanciful, but readers will enjoy the mix of legal information and heist. Is Dominic a psychopath? His lack of emotion and empathy might suggest yes. Will he get the girl? Teens will happily read on to find out. VERDICT A great choice for those who want more suspense than mystery and who don't feel they have to empathize with or like the main character.-Laura Pearle, Milton Academy, MA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.