Praise

"Best of Crime Fiction 2006" -- January Magazine

"Tarantino-esque first novel about the past catching up with an ex-criminal turned children’s toymaker, and by extension with his young girlfriend Lola. Lots of villains and violent deaths plus likeable characters and some quirky humour. The first chapter – in which Lola busts her way out of a thoroughly nasty rape scenario with karate-kicking panache – would hook anyone."
-- The Bookseller (UK)

"Graphic action and exhilarating chases ensue as Quinlan's characters play cat-and-mouse through Portland,...makes one hope that Smoke hasn't quit the life entirely. Lola is a fierce delight." -- Publishers Weekly

 

"A fast and furious debut thriller notable for a vintage collection of really rotten bad guys. Characters to care about, even the no-goods. Readers… may be bearing early witness to the arrival of a major talent." -- Kirkus Reviews

"SMOKED should absorb any fan of Bruckheimer blockbusters and everything else that goes boom."
-- Entertainment Weekly

"A fast-paced thriller...the story moves at warp speed, capped by a cinematic chase...before ending in spectacular fashion."
-- Los Angeles Times

"Watch out for [SMOKED]. A superb debut. A great crime novel. Brilliant is the word."
-- The Independent on Sunday (UK)

"With a limping middle-aged hero and a Kill Bill-style indomitable heroine, plus a wonderful gallery of grotesque baddies straight out of B-movie casting school, this debut is a pleasurable romp with strong echoes of early Elmore Leonard. A plethora of fights, knives, guns, explosions and every form of mayhem the author can summon from his sadistic imagination punctuate a non-stop narrative tempered by a strong dose of humour." -- The Guardian on Sunday (UK)

"This first novel is wonderful! What makes [SMOKED] so wonderful is an author who can write great prose, great set-ups, great dialogue, and create characters that jump off the page. Can’t recommend this enough for those of you who like your thrillers on the very dark side." -- Bookaholic

"SMOKED is one cool read.  Tough, suspenseful, gritty and raw. I enjoyed the hell out of it." --Victor Gischler, Edgar-nominated author of GUN MONKEYS and SUICIDE SQUEEZE

"A tight and compelling novel.  You will not be able to put SMOKED down. My shaking hand was turning pages.  What a debut.  Patrick Quinlan is a wonderful new writer."
-- Carolyn Chute, New York Times bestselling author of THE BEANS OF EGYPT, MAINE

"Explosive hardboiled Irish-US debut in the Elmore Leonard mold. Great characters and dialogue and well worth more than a detour." -- Murder One

"SMOKED is a compulsively readable, confidently cool tale of criminal shenanigans." -- Crime Spree Magazine

"[A] breathless sequence of abduction, car chases and con jobs. Just what the doctor ordered for a Hollywood flick."
-- The Calcutta Telegraph (India)

"Rich in characters lovingly drawn and mercilessly executed. Often literally. Gives the whole expression "character assassination" a brand new meaning." "Admirers of James Ellroy or the films of Quentin Tarantino should find much to enjoy in Patrick Quinlan's debut, which is as fast-paced, and as bloody as either...." -- The Times of London (UK)

"[A] strong cross between Elmore Leonard and Quentin Tarantino doing Elmore Leonard. The result is tightly plotted, confidently written and very hip." -- The Sunday Observer (UK)

"The breathlessly violent farce that follows is an unabashed cut-and-shut job, cobbled from the debris of a collision between an Elmore Leonard novel and a Tarantino screenplay. Patrick Quinlan claims no originality. He's transparent about imitating the masters of hard-boiled irony and pays homage with style and gusto." -- The Daily Telegraph (UK)

"Patrick Quinlan writes with such panache and skill that it's hard to believe this is his first novel...the ending reminds me of Elmore Leonard at his best."  --The Mail on Sunday (UK)

"An engrossing thriller that takes an aging bomb-maker on the lam, a couple of very dangerous hit men, some small-time crooks and a girl who was paying attention in self-defense class, and weaves a can’t miss sizzler of a story."
-- James Seigel, New York Times bestselling author of DERAILED (recently a hit movie) and DETOUR

"Quinlan's prose is as smooth as his character's dialogue and when the action hots up, its hard not to find yourself grinning with pure joy. Quinlan… does it with an infectious enthusiasm and a confidence that makes SMOKED a pleasure to read."
-- Crime Scene Scotland

"One hell of an exhilarating ride. Certainly one of the better debut thrillers I’ve read this year." -- Shotsmag (UK)

"Despite its seeming simplicity, this is not easy fiction to write successfully. Patrick Quinlan has delivered a terrific new addition to the genre with his first novel. We may well be looking at a name for the future." - - The Courier Mail (Australia)

"Hitmen, heists and high speed chases ensue in this absorbing debut. Quinlan has created an endearing cast of characters. In a word: Explosive!" - - The Herald Sun (Australia)

"Smoked is a shocking, violent read jam-packed with action and a cast of incredible characters who are so much more than they first appear. Smoked is written in a Pulp Fiction sort of style where all the disconnected characters circle around each other's lives with devastating consequences. It's one of those gripping books that will take you to another world, far removed from any safety net. It's also a book you'll probably want to read slowly because you won't want it to end. Amazingly, it's also author Patrick Quinlan's first novel."  4½ stars out of 5
- - AAP Newswire (Australia)

"Cue kidnappings, explosions, beatings, murders and car chases aplenty. Pacey, Punchy and raw, this is one self-assured debut." - - In the Air – inflight magazine of Qantas Airlines (Australia)

"[A] thrilling ride that will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat. It will make you curse the fact that you need sleep."
-- Bullz-Eye.com

"The story combines vicious villainy with threadbare morality to produce a bang that movie producers and script-writers would be sorry to miss. Once you've picked it up, it's hard to put it down." -- Channel NewsAsia (Singapore)

“THIS is the stuff – violent, pacy, stylish and funny.”

-- The Daily Mirror

“Quinlan delights in wrong-footing the reader.  A fast-moving, hugely entertaining thriller.”
 -- The Observer on Sunday

“[A] Leonardesque thriller.  For this top-notch noir entertainment, think Coen Brothers (Blood Simple) in print.” 

-- Mystery Scene Magazine

“Quinlan brings to glorious life several offbeat, deviant characters from roads less traveled.  [THE TAKEDOWN] hurtles along like an express train to its smashing climax.” 

-- Publisher’s Weekly