ASH WEDNESDAY
ASH WEDNESDAY
A near-future neo-noir novel, now available
Cover Art
Front Cover
The Story
ASH WEDNESDAY is a near-future neo-noir thriller depicting a world in which China has gained effective political control of a suddenly prostrated United States.
A recent constitutional amendment has been passed that, among other things, suspends the first ten. Trial is by secret tribunal and there is no such thing as habeas corpus—the authorities detain whom they choose, as they please. The US armed forces, deemed too expensive for a bankrupt nation, have been dissolved and their equipment has been transferred to China to help offset the national debt. The Chinese military is now responsible for America’s security. All telecommunication is routed through Chinese servers and is subject to surveillance—people have learned to speak elliptically to avoid tripping keyword alerts that would soon have the Chinese version of the Gestapo knocking at the door. Regulating this changed reality is the Corporation for Collateral Oversight, headquartered in the former Las Vegas, now renamed Nuevo Shanghai, where bounty hunter Nicholas Jarrow unexpectedly becomes entangled with the new regime.
Nick Jarrow is framed for murder—a clumsy frame but good enough to blackmail him into hunting down Zara Berenova, a woman he once loved, to earn a reprieve. Zara stole a set of blueprints, a theft that threatens the prevailing power, and Jarrow is given a week to find her. Watching him—nominally a partner, actually a guard to good behavior—is the enigmatic Hyacinth Lee, an imperturbable and unforgiving representative of the authorities who is not quite able to disguise her desire that Jarrow fall flat on his face.
“A warning to a complacent present from a disturbing future“
Praise for previous novels by Robert Brace:
“Stylish and polished…abounds in evocative description, crisp and engaging dialogue”
BOOKLIFE REVIEWS
“Brace…displays such eloquence and such a firm control of pacing”
KIRKUS REVIEWS
“…deserve a wide readership”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“Beautifully written—proves that Robert Brace is a talent to watch”
KYLE MILLS, New York Times bestselling author of Smoke Screen
Hardcover, Paperback, & Kindle: 312 pages