There are seven of them. ChildrenтАФinnocentsтАФwhose long-buried remains are uncovered by a flash-flood. No one knows who could have committed such a crime. Clues are scarce, and with the media turning the story into a law enforcement nightmare, time is short. Only Wil Hardesty, a private eye who has more in common with the case than anyone knows, is willing to push hard enoughтАФand dig deep enoughтАФto find the cruelest of killers. The killer of The Innocents тАж
Praise for THE INNOCENTS тАж
тАЬAuthor Richard Barre kicked off his Wil Hardesty series with this smart, psychologically nuanced first novel, which garnered a 1996 Shamus Award. The plot is gripping, the dialogue sharp, and the villains very villainous indeed, but the character of Wil Hardesty is what separates this mystery from the rest of the pack. More than just another private-eye-with-a-troubled-past, Hardesty is both complicated and flawed, a very real human who brings a lifetimeтАЩs worth of pain, passion, and guilt to bear on solving this crime.тАЭ тАФPublishers Weekly
тАЬSober, understated, intense.тАЭ тАФKirkus Reviews
тАЬUp-close and personal narrativeтАжnicely convoluted plot.тАЭ тАФLibrary Journal
тАЬCrisp, street-smart dialogue; a likable protagonist; and very nasty villainsтАжa solid debut.тАЭ тАФBooklist
тАЬImpressive.тАЭ тАФSan Francisco Examiner
тАЬExcellentтАжthe writing is so good.тАЭ тАФThe Oregonian
тАЬWalking in the shadows of everyone from Ross Macdonald to Lawrence Block, Barre still manages to find something original to say. The bookтАЩs strength comes from the chances it takesтАжfresh charactersтАжclever plot twists.тАЭ тАФChicago Tribune
тАЬHardesty is remarkably evolved as a character in his first outing. [He] could be you or me or a neighbor, a person trying hard to survive a few of lifeтАЩs dirtier tricks. He has stature.тАЭ тАФThe Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
тАЬBarre deliversтАжan engrossing mystery that moves quickly in prose that is as sleek and muscular as its protagonist. This first outing easily handles, then transcends, the genre requisites for a lively, intense read. Reserve a long evening for this oneтАжit delivers the tension and pace that readers demand.тАЭ тАФSanta Barbara News Press
тАЬOne of the best mysteries of the year.тАЭ тАФFirsts Magazine
тАЬThe Innocents is a truly powerful and moving novel, going beyond the private eye genre as only the best authors do. LetтАЩs hope that is only the first of a long and significant series.тАЭ тАФOtto Penzler, Mysterious Press
тАЬBarre is a skilled writer, an uncanny observer and comes equipped with an uncommonly good ear for dialogue. Wil Hardesty, is a most welcome addition to the pantheon of private detectives.тАЭ тАФRoss Thomas, author of Out on the Rim
тАЬA truly powerful and moving novelтАжan intriguing world of mystery, deceit and murder. Richard Barre is a skilled writer and The Innocents is a gripping story.тАЭ тАФMichael Connelly, author of The Fifth Witness
тАЬA great read. Barre has a great command of all the elementsтАФplot, character, and individual scenes. I suspect and hope that Wil Hardesty will be around crime fiction for many novels to come.тАЭ тАФJames Crumley, author of Dancing Bear
тАЬWill Hardesty is a man with a lot of pain and a lot of pride, a man with a mission: a man you should meet. In a world of fake and fabrication, The Innocents is the real thing.тАЭ тАФStephen Greenleaf, author of False Conception
тАЬThe Innocents is a powerful novelтАжof action and suspense that is, in the end, a voyage of self-discovery.тАЭ тАФMichael Collins, author of Crimes and Misdemeanors