"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.
But those that it will not break it kills.
It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially.
If you are none of these you can be sure that it will kill you too,
but there will be no special hurry."
-- A Farewell to Arms
But those that it will not break it kills.
It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially.
If you are none of these you can be sure that it will kill you too,
but there will be no special hurry."
-- A Farewell to Arms
from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books
"Atkinson's first novel starring Papa Hemingway as a sleuth was set in 1956 and found the world-famous author on the verge of serious decline. This time the clock moves back to Hemingway's salad days, 1937 and the Spanish civil war. But what gives this series its spunk is the way Atkinson plays against the he-man Papa stereotype, showing us Hemingway the blowhard, Hemingway the sloppy drunk, and even Hemingway the hypocrite. And, yet, there is also Hemingway the craftsman (groping after the story that would eventually become For Whom the Bell Tolls) and Hemingway the stand-up guy, refusing to look the other way when a story slaps him upside the head. This time that story concerns the murder of one of the Spanish Republic's leading officials. Hemingway,with the timid assistance of idealistic but ineffectual John Dos Passos, lumbers after the scoop, ruffling numerous feathers along the way... Good fun for classic hardboiled fans and, of course, for Hemingway aficionados, who will enjoy both Papa's boisterous charisma and the cameos, from Martha Gellhorn and Josephine Herbst, among others. — Booklist
"Terrific!... With a nod to For Whom The Bell Tolls, Hemingway investigates the murder of [Jose] Robles in his inevitable bullying noir style, with cameos and violence adding to the feel of being in Spain during the bloody civil war." -- The Mystery Gazette
"I was completely hooked!" -- A Books Blog"Although Hemingway lived one of the 20th century’s most remarkable, adventurous lives, Atkinson’s version is even better! Hemingway Cutthroat is another winner in the series!" -- Library Journal
"Better than the last one!" -- co-owner, Partners & Crime bookstore, NYC (in conversation)
