The Killer Is Dying

Description

A hired killer on his final job, a burned out detective whose wife is dying slowly, a young boy abandoned by his parents and living alone by his wits. Three people, solitary and disconnected from society. The detective is looking for the killer, Christian, though he doesn't know that. Christian is trying to find the man who stepped in and took down his target. And the boy, Jimmie, is having the killer's dreams. While they never meet, they are inextricably linked - and as their stories unfold, all find the solace of community.

James Sallis has published sixteen novels, multiple collections of short stories, essays, and poems, books of musicology, a biography of Chester Himes, and a translation of Raymond Queneau's novel Saint Glinglin. He has written about books for the LA Times, New York Times, and Washington Post, and for some years served as a books columnist for the Boston Globe. He has received a lifetime achievement award from Bouchercon, the Hammett Award for literary excellence in crime writing, and the Grand Prix de Litterature policiere.

Atmospheric . . . Sallis develops an interesting kinship between cop and killer -- Susannah Meadows * New York Times * The Killer is Dying is beautifully written . . . read as an extended prose poem, it's well-nigh perfect -- Laura Wilson * The Guardian * Beautifully written and subtly brought together -- Peter Millar * The Times * Unlike those pretenders who play in dark alleys and think they're tough, James Sallis writes from an authentic noir sensibility, a state of mind that hovers between amoral indifference and profound existential despair -- Marilyn Stasio * New York Times * Wonderful writing that stitches a complex picture of America's south west, with the story of a killer and a cop as part of that tapestry * Crime Fiction Lover *