The Black Jersey: A Novel

Description

A fast-paced mystery where Murder on the Orient Express meets the Tour de France--someone's killing off cyclists one by one. "There are riders willing to die just to win a single leg of the Tour, careening downhill at a suicidal ninety kilometers per hour; now I know there are also riders ready to kill for it." Marc, a French-Colombian professional cyclist with a military past, is on an elite Tour de France team led by his best friend, Steve, an American star and a favorite to win this year's Tour. But the competition takes a dark turn when someone begins eliminating racers in a series of violent "accidents," and all the remaining athletes become suspects. Marc agrees to help the French police with their investigation from the inside, but as the days progress, the dangers grow, and the number of potential murderers--and potential winners--shrinks. In fact, if there's any team that has been favored by the murderer's actions, it's Marc and Steve's. Who can Marc trust? Who should he protect? As the finish line approaches, Marc must decide what he's willing to risk for justice, victory, and friendship.

Jorge Zepeda Patterson is a journalist, novelist, and political analyst. He has been the director of several Mexican newspapers and was the founder of Siglo 21, a groundbreaking publication throughout the nineties. He currently runs Sinembargo, a leader in Mexican news sites, and writes a weekly column that is published in sixteen different newspapers. His debut novel, The Corruptors, was a finalist for the Dashiell Hammett Prize, and his second novel, Milena, won the Planeta Prize. His novels are translated into more than ten languages. Translator Achy Obejas is the author of The Tower of Antilles, which was shortlisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award and longlisted for the PEN Open Book Award and The Story Prize, as well as four other books of critically acclaimed fiction. She edited and translated the anthology Havana Noir, and has translated the work of Rita Indiana, Wendy Guerra, and many others. In 2014, she was awarded a USA Ford Fellowship for her writing and translation. She currently serves as the director of the MFA in Translation program at Mills College in Oakland, California.

"Although the amateur bicyclists I know are generally nice people, the professionals depicted in this thriller about murder and mayhem at the Tour de France are anything but. . . . Does Patterson's shocker of a denouement inspire hope for the future of professional bike racing? Hardly."-The Washington Post "During the summer my husband often rides in a 50-mile bike race in the Northwoods. Riding that distance never appealed to me. If I'm going 50 miles, it's in a car with said husband driving, snacks and a book on my lap. But I got such an adrenaline rush from reading Jorge Zepeda Patterson's thriller The Black Jersey, about a murderer stalking the Tour de France, that I biked around Tosa yesterday."-Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "[A] gripping behind-the-scenes thriller."- Minneapolis Star-Tribune "[The] ability to satisfy multiple audiences while presenting something fresh makes The Black Jersey a definite winner. . . . Adventure and mystery fans of many stripes . . . cycling fans, of course . . . and anyone who just likes a good story with solid characters and intense human drama will enjoy it."-New York Journal of Books "Set during the Tour de France, this thrilling mystery from Mexican author Patterson boasts as many twists and turns as the treacherous bicycle race that winds through the Alps and the Pyrenees. . . . This meticulously plotted novel about riders willing to die-and possibly kill-to win cycling's biggest race will have readers guessing until the very last page. Patterson should win a wider American audience with this outing."-Publishers Weekly "A brilliant and devious criminal turns the Tour de France into a life-or-death race. . . . Patterson offers complex character portraits, a dramatic depiction of the Tour de France, and a nifty whodunit."-Kirkus Reviews "The fast pace and numerous plot twists will keep readers in suspense until the end, when the cyclists cross the finish line at the Champs-Elysees."-Booklist "For fans of Le Tour, Jorge Zepeda Patterson has crafted the perfect mystery novel, and for all mystery fans he opens up the fascinating and ferocious world of bike racing. The Black Jersey is a feat of storytelling, as fast-paced as any stage of the Tour de France, and with an ending ten times more unpredictable and exciting."-Mark Pryor, author of the Hugo Marston mystery novels "Jorge Zepeda Patterson writes with true storytelling gusto. Whether you own a bike or not, The Black Jersey will pull you into the fascinating, hermetic world of professional cycling and keep you out of breath to the very end. Highly recommended!"-Charles Todd, author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford Mysteries