Quinsigamond, an imaginary industrial city in New England, has been the setting for the handful of deeply fascinating novels by US author O'Connell, a sadly far from prolific writer who sits aside from all others in the crime writing landscape. Detective Leonore Thomas who patrols the desolate beat of the city's decaying down-and-out lands is addicted to rough sex and narcotics as she hunts down the source of a new drug, Lingo, a psychedelic concoction that is more than mind-blowing and almost a substitute for death. Her weird twin brother Ike, who works for the post office, is an equally unsettling and unpredictable character and their interactions together with a palette of bizarre urban pirates and villains make for an uncomfortable ride. Seldom have plot and atmosphere been such awkward bedfellows and provided such a memorable sense of dread. Initially published in 1998, the novel feels as modern as ever.
A stunningly original nightmare novel about the impact of a new synthetic drug - Lingo - on the depressed New England factory town of Quinsigamond, where it was secretly developed. Besides offering a potent high, Lingo also delivers a shot to the brain cells governing linguistic comprehension and verbal skill. Until murderous rages and babbling insanity take over, this mind-expanding feature makes the drug dangerously seductive to the unusually literate cops, scientists and dope dealers competing to find its distribution source.
Written in the cranked up style of Lingo, Box Nine shows a noir vision of a city that has become a virtual war zone between warring multi-ethnic drug cartels. The narrative shifts from one head case to another but never loses sight of Det. Lenore Thomas, an undercover officer addicted to speed, rough sex, heavy metal and the feel of her .357 Magnum. A dark, disturbing book that speaks with a fine fury about the yearning for forbidden knowledge and the language to articulate the mysteries it unlocks.
Jack O'Connell is the author of five critically acclaimed novels, which have earned him something of a cult status. His work has been praised by James Ellroy, Nail Gaiman, Katherine Dunn, George Pelecanos and Jonathan Carroll, among others. Winning the ($50,000) 1990 Mysterious Press Discovery Contest for the Best First Crime Novel for Box Nine launched his career. This and his other novels Wireless, The Skin Palace, Word Made Flesh and The Resurrectionist are all published by No Exit Press. He is a magazine editor and lives in Worcester, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children.
