Sarah Jane

A spare, sparkling tour de force about one woman's journey to becoming a cop, by master of noir James Sallis, author of Drive.

Sarah Jane Pullman is a good cop with a complicated past. From her small-town chicken-farming roots through her runaway adolescence, court-ordered Army stint, ill-advised marriage and years slinging scrambled eggs over greasy spoon griddles, Sarah Jane unfolds her life story, a parable about memory, atonement, and finding shape in chaos. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she finds herself named the de facto sheriff of a rural town, investigating the mysterious disappearance of the sheriff whose shoes she's filling – and the even more mysterious realities of the life he was hiding from his own colleagues and closest friends.

In the tradition of James Crumley's The Last Good Kiss and Ivy Pochoda's Wonder Valley, this kaleidoscopic character study sparkles in every dark and bright detail – a virtuoso work by amaster of both the noir and the tender aspects of human nature.

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Praise for Sarah Jane

'With his impeccable pacing, and richly humane story-telling, Sallis brings his heroine to life in a way that is tender and yet as threatening as only the best noir can be' – Daily Mail

'Mesmerising fiction from America's most compelling crime critic, poet and novelist' – The Times and The Sunday Times Crime Club

'A little gem of a book which plays its cards close to its chest' – Herald Scotland

'A new novel by James Sallis is always cause for celebration. Sarah Jane is certainly no exception' – Woody Haut

'A spellbinding character study' – New York Times

'Slim and affecting' – Wall Street Journal