Praise for CITY OF ROSE
"CITY OF ROSE has my favorite kind of hero, a tough guy romantic with a smart mouth and a dark past. Terrifically written, and populated with rich characters, this book had me by the throat from page one."
—Chelsea Cain, New York Times bestselling author of ONE KICK and HEARTSICK
“Brilliant…CITY OF ROSE, Rob Hart's latest Ash McKenna novel, is as sharp as the devil himself. Hart is a master storyteller who can turn a city into just as vital as any flesh and blood character.”
—Brian Panowich, author of BULL MOUNTAIN
"CITY OF ROSE is hard-boiled with a soft heart and packed with the kind of patter and adrenaline-fueled plotting I loved about NEW YORKED. I hope this nomadic knight life becomes the norm for Ash."
—Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
"Appealing...readers will enjoy (Hart's) playful, jaded hero and twisty plot."
—Publishers Weekly
"Well executed and strikes an appealing balance, rough without being sadistic, gritty without being sordid. ...an engaging read...characterized by Hart's quick and witty turns of phrase."
—Kirkus Reviews
"CITY OF ROSE is briskly told, and Ash’s arch, loopy narration is often very funny. It’s been a good season for thrillers with a touch of comedy."
—Booklist
"CITY OF ROSE is playful, snappy, and fun...The Portland setting allows Hart to play into his knacks for dialogue and comedic scene setting...this book is genre writing par excellence."
—Entropy Magazine
"CITY OF ROSE is as good as hoped...the sharp voice covers — barely — the raw emotion roiling within Ash as he searches for a friend's missing girl, learning parts of Portland he'd rather not see because in fact, he knows the violence within them all too well."
—Sarah Weinman, editor of WOMEN CRIME WRITERS and TROUBLED DAUGHTERS, TWISTED WIVES
"CITY OF ROSE is a fun hardboiled thriller that features an involving mystery and memorable action scenes."
—Dead End Follies
Praise for NEW YORKED - the first Ash McKenna novel:
"The New York of NEW YORKED is a place of heartbreak and murder that I highly recommend you visit." —Josh Bazell, author of BEAT THE REAPER
"Outstanding...I loved this novel. It may be the most quixotic hard-boiled I've read in ages. With clever nods to Chandler and lots of muscular metaphors, Hart has written an achingly lovely farewell to one man's past."
—Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
"Hart's debut is a terse, grim, gritty, quickly moving noir that deftly explores post-9/11 New York...Ash is a wrecking ball of an investigator, a direct descendant of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer."
—Mystery Scene
"Edgy... relentless pacing and strong sense of place." —Publishers Weekly
"There are good action scenes, nice offbeat characters, but what lingers is the swoony dialogue... Noir with a tingle of doomed but sweet romance." —Booklist
"A bloody valentine to a New York fast disappearing, this debut is an urban noir populated with memorable characters."
—Library Journal
"A hard-boiled crime novelist in the vein of greats like Dashiell Hammett and James M. Cain, not to mention modern masters like Lawrence Block and Dennis Lehane."
—Staten Island Advance
“The literary version of THE WARRIORS.” —Lyndsay Faye, author of THE GODS OF GOTHAM
"One part Dennis Lehane, one part Lee Child, and one part pure Rob Hart." —Jenny Milchman, author of COVER OF SNOW and RUIN FALLS
"With a deft eye for the dirt under its polished fingernails, Rob Hart finds the rotten core inside today's Big Apple." —Todd Robinson, author of THE HARD BOUNCE and editor of THUGLIT
"New York is a verb, and the chase is on. You won't be able to turn the pages fast enough." —Suzy Vitello, author of THE MOMENT BEFORE and THE EMPRESS CHRONICLES
“A masterful debut… this is a book that sticks with you.” —CrimeSpree Magazine
"Clever, witty, full of attitude—but never full of itself—Rob Hart’s debut novel doesn’t waste a syllable." —David Corbett, author of THE DEVIL'S REDHEAD and BLOOD OF PARADISE
"Like a sucker punch to the guts before you turn the first page." —Matthew McBride, author of FRANK SINATRA IN A BLENDER and A SWOLLEN RED SUN
