“As I was reading Petrie’s exceptional debut, O’Brien’s [The Things They Carried] buzzed at the edges of my consciousness, casting the newer book as a thematic sequel to O’Brien’s classic. . . The Drifter may be about a different war, but it’s about the same hell, and in this book it’s about the things a vet carries home with him. . . . [The] lean prose, gritty descriptions, and raw psychological depth give the novel a feel that reminded me of early Dennis Lehane.”—Carole Barrowman, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
“A gripping, beautifully written novel.” —Huffington Post
“A page-turner with a shout-out to vets everywhere, The Drifter is a first-class crime novel set in a second-tier city with plenty of third-rate lowlifes.” —Shelf Awareness
“[Peter Ash’s] sharply intelligent, witty voice strikes the right tone for an honest exploration of the challenges returning veterans face, and while this wandering veteran will remind some of Jack Reacher, Peter’s struggle to overcome PTSD sets him apart. An absorbing thriller debut with heart.”—Booklist
“Petrie’s expertly paced plot sets a colorful array of characters on a collision course. Readers will look forward to seeing more of the resourceful Ash.”—Publishers Weekly
“Nicholas Petrie’s The Drifter is not just a gripping thriller, it is also a trenchant exploration of the shattered lives of returning veterans. Peter Ash’s penetrating, perceptive voice strikes just the right note for an honest exploration of the challenges men and women face returning from war. This is a heartfelt debut.” —Open Letters Monthly
“Petrie’s impressive debut thriller is fine tuned, the action gripping, and through Ash offers a well-drawn portrait of a vet who can’t escape his combat experience. Like Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, Ash’s philosophy of detection is to poke a stick into something and see what happens. His discoveries will keep the reader on edge and whet the appetite for more from this author.”—Library Journal
“The Drifter follows the compelling story of one former Marine’s struggle to reacclimate himself to civilian life while honoring his commitment to a fallen soldier. That alone is reason to keep reading, but Petrie amps up the stakes in surprising fashion, creating a story that is moving, thrilling and satisfying on every level. . . . [An] intimate story of personal discovery as well as an obsessive pageturner of a book.”—BookPage
“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. If this is Petrie’s first novel, watch out for the second one. But why wait? This one’s here now, and it’s a home run.” —John Lescroart, New York Times-bestselling author of The Fall
“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.” —Steve Berry, New York Times-bestselling author of The Patriot Threat
“Nicholas Petrie’s The Drifter has one of the most thrilling openings I’ve ever read, involving a dank crawlspace, the nastiest, smelliest dog in creation, and a former Marine lieutenant still suffering from the trauma of his war. It can’t get better than this, I figured, but it does. 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.” —William Lashner, New York Times-bestselling author of The Barkeep
“A timely, intelligent thriller, as much an indictment as a gripping page-turner. Nicholas Petrie’s debut simmers and seethes until it finally boils over in a masterfully-drawn final showdown. Teeming with grit and desperation and told in spare, vivid prose, this is not a debut you’ll want to miss.” —Owen Laukkanen, author of The Stolen Ones