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 narcotics detective wages war against a deadly new stimulant The drug is called Lingo, and it's the most powerful narcotic Lenore has ever seen. This cheaply manufactured pill races straight for the brain's language center, supercharging it so that even a dimwitted person can speak and read at 1,500 words per minute. It induces giddiness, confidence, and sexual euphoriawith a side effect of murderous rage. The drug has come to Quinsigamond, a fading industrial center in the heart of Massachusetts, and it's going to tear this town apart.Lenore believes she can stop that from happening. A narcotics detective with a few addictions of her ownamphetamines and heavy metal, to name a coupleshe loves nothing more than her gun, until she meets Dr. Frederick Woo, the linguist assisting her on the case. Together they can stop the drugif it doesn't take hold of them first.
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.
