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'