Playboy

Description

A campaign for the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff is in full swing, yet 100,000 people take to Avenida Paulista in Sao Paulo in her support. On the same day, a young man from a wealthy family is murdered. Detective Mario Leme discovers the body. Two Military Policemen confront him. They strong-arm him into the back of an SUV. Set against the backdrop of the biggest political corruption scandal in Brazilian history, Playboy is the story of Leme's attempt to clear his name, and find the young man's killer. Leme's investigation runs right through Sao Paulo society, from the bottom, to the very top - and has implications far beyond. And the fight to prove his innocence might just cost Leme his life. 'Thomas's style is hard-boiled, cynical and fatalist, with the kind of social critique that comes with the euro-noir tradition...A must for modern noir fans.' - Paul Burke, NB Magazine 'Fresh, gripping and incredibly assured.' - Stav Sherez, author of The Intrusions

JOE THOMAS was born in Hackney in 1977. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Sao Paulo quartet - Paradise City, Gringa, Playboy, and Brazilian Psycho - and Bent, which was a Guardian Best Book of 2020 and an Irish Times pick of the best crime fiction of 2020. His new novel, White Riot, the start of a trilogy set in Hackney in the 1970s and 1980s, is to be published by Arcadia in January 2023, and will be followed by Red Menace and True Blue. Joe lives in London with his partner and son, and teaches at City, University of London.

A tough, uncompromising style --Jon Wise Paradise City is a gripping read. This fast-paced and darkly atmospheric novel introduces Joe Thomas as a new and distinct voice in crime fiction of the city --Susanna Jones, author of The Earthquake Bird As vibrant, colourful and complex as South America's largest city --Myles McWeeney, Irish Independent Fresh, gripping, and incredibly assured --Stav Sherez, author of The Intrusions I felt my hackles rise on more than one occasion. [...] Thomas consistently exposes the naked truth behind the power and oppression of the more vulnerable in society. [...] powerful and thought provoking... The weighty social issues of the book are more than balanced with the superb characterisation... [Gringa is] a great read for those who like their crime on the darker side of the tracks, and dare I say it, even better than the debut [Paradise City]. Highly recommended --Raven Crime Reads With its feverish energy, opulent nightlife, culture and chaos, the Brazilian megalopolis is a perfect setting for Joe Thomas's crime thrillers --Jane Dunford, Guardian