About this item
Highlights
- From 21-Jump Street writer and series creator Patrick Hasburgh, a part thriller, part family novel about an ex-pat American living and surfing in Mexico, the family he loves, and the murder he witnesses, in the vein of Don Winslow's The Dawn Patrol.
- Author(s): Patrick Hasburgh
- 352 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Thrillers
Description
About the Book
"In a former life, Nick Lutz, sold cars in the Golden State. He had a wife and a young son, and they struggled along until Nick was shot in the head when a potential customer hijacked the car he was demonstrating. The incident sets off a bad-luck domino fall, and he loses an eye, his job, his family, and, eventually, his self-respect. With nothing left, Nick heads for Mexico, where he sheds his former self among an eclectic group of expats and locals, who fondly name him "Pirata" on account of his eye patch. There on the beaches of Sabanita, Nick and his buddy Winsor drink, surf, and--most of all--escape, buoyed away from their pasts on south swells and Tecate. Nothing epic. That is until Winsor's girlfriend, Meagan, ends their abusive relationship and flees with her two boys to the safety and solace of Nick's beachside casita. A monsoon season fling of convenience turns into a torrid love affair as new loyalties and dark secrets are shaped into something like a family. But when the local policâia struggle to identify a body that has washed up in the surf, Nick realizes his secrets--and sins--have caught up with him. And there are dangerous new surprises that have yet to roll in with the tide"--Book Synopsis
From 21-Jump Street writer and series creator Patrick Hasburgh, a part thriller, part family novel about an ex-pat American living and surfing in Mexico, the family he loves, and the murder he witnesses, in the vein of Don Winslow's The Dawn Patrol.
"It's rare to find a novel that's so harrowing, funny and touching at the same time, but Patrick Hasburgh somehow pulls it off. His surf-bum narrator is a new classic--think of Philip Marlowe, on a longboard." --Carl Hiaasen, New York Times bestselling author of Razor Girl
"Fueled by equal parts humor and suspense, Pirata makes for a fast and satisfying read." -- Kem Nunn, author of National Book Award Finalist Tapping the Source
"Going straight at the stuff that scares you is good advice. I just didn't have the courage to do it..."--Nick Lutz
In a former life, Nick Lutz, sold cars in the Golden State. He had a wife and a young son, and they struggled along until Nick was shot in the head when a potential customer hijacked the car he was demonstrating. The incident sets off a bad-luck domino fall, and he loses an eye, his job, his family, and, eventually, his self-respect.
With nothing left, Nick heads for Mexico, where he sheds his former self among an eclectic group of expats and locals, who fondly name him "Pirata" on account of his eye patch. There on the beaches of Sabanita, Nick and his buddy Winsor drink, surf, and--most of all--escape, buoyed away from their pasts on south swells and Tecate. Nothing epic. That is until Winsor's girlfriend, Meagan, ends their abusive relationship and flees with her two boys to the safety and solace of Nick's beachside casita. A monsoon season fling of convenience turns into a torrid love affair as new loyalties and dark secrets are shaped into something like a family. But when the local policía struggle to identify a body that has washed up in the surf, Nick realizes his secrets--and sins--have caught up with him. And there are dangerous new surprises that have yet to roll in with the tide. . . .
A gifted storyteller, Hasburgh drops readers into the middle of a gripping, heartwarming, viscerally compelling page turner. At once tender and deadly hysterical, Pirata is a novel readers won't soon forget.
From the Back Cover
In a former life, Nick Lutz sold cars in the Golden State. He had a wife and young son, and they struggled along until a potential customer hijacked the car Nick was demonstrating and shot him in the head. The incident sets off a bad-luck domino effect, and he loses an eye, his job, his family, and, eventually, his self-respect.
With nothing left, Nick heads for Mexico, where he sheds his former self among an eclectic group of expats and locals, who fondly name him "Pirata" on account of his eye patch. There on the beaches of Sabanita, Nick and his buddy Winsor drink, surf, and--most of all--escape, buoyed away from their pasts on south swells and Tecate. Nothing epic. That is until Winsor's girlfriend, Meagan, ends their abusive relationship and flees with her two boys to the safety and solace of Nick's beachside casita. A monsoon season fling of convenience turns into a torrid love affair as new loyalties and dark secrets are shaped into something like a family. But when the local policía struggle to identify a body that has washed up in the surf, Nick realizes his secrets--and sins--have caught up with him. And there are dangerous new surprises that have yet to roll in with the tide. . . .
A gifted storyteller, Hasburgh drops readers into the middle of a gripping, heartwarming, viscerally compelling page-turner. At once tender and deadly hysterical, Pirata is a novel readers won't soon forget.
Review Quotes
"Fueled by equal parts humor and suspense, Pirata makes for a fast and satisfying read." -- Kem Nunn, author of National Book Award Finalist Tapping the Source
"Pirata is a great summer ride. It's rare to find a novel that's so harrowing, funny and touching at the same time, but Patrick Hasburgh somehow pulls it off. His surf-bum narrator is a new classic--think of Philip Marlowe, on a longboard." -- Carl Hiaasen, New York Times bestselling author of Bad Monkey and Razor Girl
"There's an authenticity that can only come from really living amongst and in the lives of your characters. Hasburgh paddles us into the fresh yet classic world of Pirata and sets us up squarely to explore family, fatherhood, profound loss, and epic waves." -- Peter Berg, Emmy Award-winning director of Friday Night Lights
"Funny, surprising and original. Pirata is a really good read." -- Michael Craven, Nero Wolfe and Shamus Award-nominated author of The Detective & the Pipe Girl
"Pirata rip curls with tenderness, wisdom and offhand brilliance." -- Richard Christian Matheson
"Compellingly written...Surfing and crime have come together before, most notably in Kem Nunn's cult classic Tapping the Source and in Don Winslow's The Dawn Patrol, but Hasburgh ups the ante." -- Booklist
"Emotionally satisfying...an affecting read." -- Kirkus Reviews
"A thoughtful thriller... Hasburgh tells a moving human story." -- Publishers Weekly
"So damn good." -- Aspen Daily News
"A hugely readable book about surfing, loving and bad tidings." -- Buffalo News
"Pirata fits perfectly in the surf noir tradition--think Boone Daniels from the Don Winslow series.... Hasburgh has a keen sense of plotting [and] a soulful way with his big cast of characters." -- CrimeReads
"Hasburgh has created a great story, part thriller and part family saga. Even those who don't know anything about surfing will find it exciting. Pirata is A-one. I would recommend it to anyone." -- Reviewing the Evidence