Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Beyond the book | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Jan 2016, 384 pages
Paperback:
Aug 2016, 384 pages
Book Reviewed by:
Donna Chavez
Buy This Book
An explosive thriller debut introducing Peter Ash, a veteran who finds that the demons of war aren't easily left behind ...
Peter Ash came home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with only one souvenir: what he calls his "white static," the buzzing claustrophobia due to post-traumatic stress that has driven him to spend a year roaming in nature, sleeping under the stars. But when a friend from the Marines commits suicide, Ash returns to civilization to help the man's widow with some home repairs. Under her dilapidated porch, he finds more than he bargained for: the largest, ugliest, meanest dog he's ever encountered ... and a Samsonite suitcase stuffed with cash and explosives.
As Ash begins to investigate this unexpected discovery, he finds himself at the center of a plot that is far larger than he could have imagined ... and it may lead straight back to the world he thought he'd left for good. Suspenseful and thrilling, and featuring a compelling new hero, The Drifter is an exciting debut from a fresh voice in crime fiction.
Chapter 1
There was a pit bull under the front porch and it didn't want to come out.
Young Charlie Johnson said, "That dang dog's been there for weeks, sir. It already ate up all the cats and dogs around here. I can't even let my dang little brother out the front door no more."
The hundred-year-old house sat on a narrow lot on the edge of a battered Milwaukee neighborhood that, like the house, had seen better days. It was early November, not warm, not even by Wisconsin standards. The leaves had already fallen from the skeletal trees that towered overhead.
But the sun was out, which counted for something. And the sky was a high, pale morning blue. Not a morning for static. Not at all.
Peter Ash said, "Just how big is this dog?"
Charlie shook his head. "Never seen it up close, sir, and never in daylight. But it's awfully dang big, I can tell you that."
"Didn't you call animal control?"
"Oh, my mama called," said Charlie. "Two men came, took one look under there,...
Petrie knows what he’s doing as he paints Ash’s ease with children and dogs. We like this guy from the get go. That Peter refuses to act on his physical attraction to his best friend’s widow brings him into sharper nice-guy focus. He is intelligent, gentle when need be and has a sharp wit. We’re rooting for him even if he occasionally behaves as if he’s still in a war zone. Ingrained behaviors are hard to shake...continued
Full Review
(871 words)
This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access,
become a member today.
(Reviewed by Donna Chavez).
David Baldacci, New York Times-bestselling author of Memory Man
The pace is like a sniper round, extraordinarily fast and precisely calibrated. The prose is fluid, original and frequently brilliant, the story heart-wrenching and uplifting at the same time. John Lescroart, author of The Keeper
"With The Drifter, Nicholas Petrie has written just about the perfect thriller. I haven't read such a well-crafted and gripping story in a month of Sundays. Owen Laukkanen, author of The Stolen Ones
Teeming with grit and desperation and told in spare, vivid prose, this is not a debut you'll want to miss. Steve Berry, author of The Lincoln Myth
A tangled tale of intrigue, action, and adventure with a battle-scarred hero who definitely rises to the challenge. The clever plot is firmly conceived and crisp writing makes this a terrific story, told terrifically. William Lashner,author of The Barkeep
Petrie's novel keeps accelerating even as it burrows ever deeper into the dark heart of the new American dream. It is a sterling debut. And yes, the dog is a star.U.S. Marine veteran Peter Ash in The Drifter is homeless – well, houseless. By choice. While he has little money he is not a vagrant. He has skills and does odd jobs. Outdoor jobs. Because Peter is incapable of staying indoors for any amount of time. This incapacity is a consequence of his military tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan where his job required him to search buildings, homes, small outbuildings. These searches often resulted in terrifyingly dangerous encounters where lives – both friendly and foreign – were lost. Now just entering a building, any structure, causes swift and merciless panic attacks.
Peter is a kind of homeless that doesn't fit the mold. He's smart, strong, self-sufficient and ...
This "beyond the book" feature is available to non-members for a limited time. Join today for full access.
If you liked The Drifter, try these:
by Bill Glose
Published 2022
For readers of Phil Klay, Kevin Powers, and Tim O'Brien: Dramatic, powerful, authentic short stories of soldiers fighting a "forever war," in combat and back home.
by Martin Seay
Published 2017
Set in three cities in three eras, The Mirror Thief calls to mind David Mitchell and Umberto Eco in its mix of entertainment and literary bravado.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
