“The Drifter is a stunning debut. Peter Ash is one of the most complex characters I’ve come across in a long time. 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. There is grit in this tale that will stay with you for a long time. Perhaps forever. I eagerly await Nicholas Petrie’s next creation.” —David Baldacci, New York Times-bestselling author of The Guilty
“A powerful, empathetic, and entertaining tale about the plight many combat veterans face when they come home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Top-notch storytelling.”—Kirkus Starred Review, reserved for “Books of exceptional merit”
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,” a crackling claustrophobia from post-traumatic stress that has driven him into the mountains, to sleep under the stars. But when a friend from the Marines commits suicide, Peter 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 Peter 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. A relentless page-turner with nail-biting tension and complex characters that leap off the page, The Drifter marks the arrival of a stunning new voice in crime fiction.