R.J. Ellory's A SIMPLE ACT OF VIOLENCE On Sale This Week

R.J. Ellory's A Simple Act of Violence, his third novel published in America by The Overlook Press, will go on sale this Thursday, June 2. Nominated for a Barry Award and winner of the 2010 Theakston’s Prize for Best Crime Novel of the Year in the U.K., A Simple Act of Violence is an explosive and soaring new novel.

And the praise is pouring in:

“Ellory is back with an amazing new novel. It’s not only a mystery with enough plot twists to keep the most jaded fan of the genre guessing, it’s also a high-speed car chase of a thriller. This is a superbly entertaining book and one that will endure in the reader’s thoughts long after the last page turns. After several fine novels, it’s high time R.J. Ellory takes his rightful place on crime fiction’s A-list. - Booklist (starred review)

“Impressive prose and pacing, coupled with a grim, unflinching view of reality that James Ellroy would recognize, make this a must-read for noir fans.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)


"Although R.J. Ellory's A Simple Act of Violence is set in Washington, D.C., just a few years ago, it really concerns the battles of an earlier era. A series of brutal murders draws a homicide detective into a shadow world involving a secret government agency, numerous federal and civic officials, and a scheme to hide acts tied to U.S. involvement in Nicaragua in the 1980s. A police procedural thus shape-shifts into a conspiracy thriller and a historical exposé. . . There are powerful scenes and vivid images in A Simple Act of Violence, which begs comparison with the work of such writers as Charles McCarry and Richard Condon." - The Wall Street Journal

"A Simple Act of Violence is a masterful exercise in suspense that keeps unfolding and taking the reader to unexpected places. This one will keep you up late reading, and then you won't sleep." – John Lutz

"There is something for everyone in A Simple Act of Violence, although the less sophisticated and uninformed readers in the realm of historical politics may tend to get lost in the backstory. That aside, this crime thriller will delight the palate of lovers of political intrigue in international venues, events that ring of historical truth, bringing the action closer to the realm of real life." - New York Journal of Books

Roger Ellory talks about A Simple Act of Violence, his background, and the writing life in an interview with Dean Murphy on The Big Thrill, the website of the Internationatal Thriller Writers Association.