{"product_id":"citizen-vince-a-novel-isbn-9780060989293","title":"Citizen Vince: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel of the Year\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“You just have to read it . . . . Utterly inventive. . . excruciatingly breathless.\" \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaureen Corrigan, \u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the #1 \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eBeautiful Ruins: \u003c\/em\u003ea riveting\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003estory of witness protection, petty thievery, local politics, and murder—set against the turbulent backdrop of the 1980 presidential election\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt’s the fall of 1980, the last week before the presidential election that pits the downtrodden Jimmy Carter against the suspiciously sunny Ronald Reagan. In a seedy suburban house in Spokane, a small-time crook formerly from New York, Vince Camden, pockets his weekly allotment of stolen credit cards and heads off to his witness-protection job at a donut shop. At the shop he takes a shine to a regular named Kelly, who works for a local politician. Somehow he finds himself and the politician in a parking lot at three in the morning, giving the slip to a couple of menacing thugs. And then he crosses the path of a young detective—and discovers his credit-scam partner, lying dead in his passport-photo office with a Cheerio-size bullet-hole in his head. No one writing crime novels today tells a story or sketches a character with more freshness or élan than Jess Walter. \u003cem\u003eCitizen Vince\u003c\/em\u003e is his funniest and grittiest book yet.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eDarkly hilarious and unexpectedly profound, \u003cem\u003eCitizen Vince\u003c\/em\u003e is an irresistible tale about the price of freedom and the mystery of salvation, by an emerging writer of boundless talent. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEight days before the 1980 presidential election, Vince Camden wakes up at 1:59 \u003csmall\u003eA.M.\u003c\/small\u003e in a quiet house in Spokane, Washington. Pocketing his stash of stolen credit cards, he drops by an all-night poker game before heading to his witness-protection job dusting crullers at Donut Make You Hungry. This is the sum of Vince's new life: donuts and forged credit cards—not to mention a neurotic hooker girlfriend.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut when a familiar face shows up in town, Vince realizes that his sordid past is still close behind him. During the next unforgettable week, on the run from Spokane to New York, Vince Camden will negotiate a maze of obsessive cops, eager politicians, and assorted mobsters, only to find that redemption might just exist—of all places—in the voting booth. Sharp and refreshing, Citizen Vince is the story of a charming crook chasing the biggest score of his life: a second chance.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“You just have to read it ... Utterly inventive ... excruciatingly breathless … Maybe if Aaron Copland had written the score for a film noir starring the Marx Brothers there would be some prototype for Walter’s fusion fiction, but he didn’t and there isn’t.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMaureen Corrigan, Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Refreshing ... entertaining ... For readers who appreciate wry precision and expert timing, it may be enough to know that “Citizen Vince” arrives with sky-high praise from both Ken Bruen and Richard Russo, with whom Mr. Walter shares these qualities. For others, the book’s fusion of humor, crime and politics may be recommendation enough.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJanet Maslin, New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fresh and different—a gritty story of betrayal, and an extended riff on life, death, and politics. Walter is a literary talent writ large.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Rich in robust characters ad wry dialogue, with agile prose, a big heart and a finely tuned plot.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSeattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A splendidly entertaining, thoughtful book. . . . Jess Walter continues to impress.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunday Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Admirably unpredictable ... a story full of wonderful small surprises. Dispassionate and compassionate by turns, and always engrossing. Walter’s best by far.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eCitizen Vince\u003c\/em\u003e is the book of 2005 for me. I flat-out adore it. The dialogue is marvelous, and the characters-man, they sing. It’s a stunning, moving piece of work.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKen Bruen, author of The Magdalene Martyrs\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“(An) immensely entertaining crime thriller and wry social commentary.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“With a multitude of scruffy, likable characters and a hopping plot, the story moves along, at turns gritty, funny, poignant and, despite some bloody crimes, surprisingly charming.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Oregonian (Portland)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The magic—and, yes, that’s the correct word—of “Citizen Vince” comes from the character of the protagonist and the setting he finds himself in.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpokesman Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This tale of unlikely redemption works because of Walter’s virtuoso command of character and dialogue—along with a wicked second-act twist. . . with its Capara-like spirit, it serves as a surprisingly satisfying antidote to the avalanche of cynical chatter emanating from this year’s political campaigns and commentators.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book as compulsively, indeed greedily, as I read \u003cem\u003eCitizen Vince\u003c\/em\u003e. Here are characters who seem to live of their own volition, who talk out of a terrible inner need to make themselves known and understood, who reveal not just themselves but the yearning heart of our great flawed democracy.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRichard Russo, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Empire Falls\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“What makes Walter’s third novel so enjoyable is Vince, a flawed but sympathetic character trying to find redemption.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889132957925,"sku":"NP9780060989293","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780060989293.jpg?v=1730230586","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/citizen-vince-a-novel-isbn-9780060989293","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}