by David Corbett (Author)
"The Devil's Redhead" tells the story of two 'for life' lovers, Dan Abatangelo and Shel Beaudry, whose adventures as the last of the independent 'gentleman' marijuana smugglers ('no violence - it's all about the money') comes to an abrupt end with their arrest in Las Vegas. Dan pleads guilty and receives a ten-year sentence in exchange for a more lenient term for his girlfriend, Shel, the tragic redhead of the book's title. Released from prison, Shel struggles to keep her life on track without Dan's emotional support. Succumbing to a weakness for 'strays' she becomes the sole caregiver of Frank Maas, a psychologically scarred and unstable loner on the fringes of a crime ring operating in the delta. Sensing Shel's growing distance as Dan's release from prison is imminent, Frank plans a quick, ill-conceived score, hoping with money in hand to persuade Shel to disappear with him. The plan backfires miserably, enmeshing Frank, Shel and Dan in a brutal war with a sophisticated and vicious rival Mexican syndicate, an inferno they cannot hope to survive. Written with depth and intensity and moments of explosive violence, "The Devil's Redhead" is above all a soulful love story about the endurance of forgiveness and the power of two people to redeem the past together.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 384
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Orion
Published: 15 Dec 2003
ISBN 10: 0752860089
ISBN 13: 9780752860084
Book Overview: Fantastic reviews: 'The plot doesn't begin to tell this story, which comes from some deep well of suffering that finds its graphic expression in the noir vernacular of violence... Corbett writes with an intensity of feeling that doesn't gloss over the pain... Without compromising the stark realism of his bruising style, Corbett has written an astonishingly tender love story' New York Times 'Corbett thunders out of the gate with this gritty, moving debut... swift, highly atmospheric narrative... Corbett's prose dazzles, cutting across the page with passionate force, articulating themes of devotion, lost hope and spiritual renewal in an unforgiving world' Publishers Weekly 'A bullet-fast, high-wire act without a safety net. If it does not get the MWA Best First Novel Edgar Award, there is no justice' Joe Gores, multiple Edgar Award winner