Hart Hanson is the creator and showrunner of Bones, the longest-running scripted hour-long series on the FOX network. His debut novel, The Driver, was hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “off the charts: blunt, morbid, morally indignant, and furiously funny” and is currently in development with Netflix. Hanson graduated from University College, University of Toronto, with degrees in Political Theory and English, and from the University of British Columbia with a Master of Fine Arts. He lives with his wife and two sons in Venice, California.
“If you like your detectives hard-boiled but with a redeeming soft center then step forward Xavier Priest, your newest PI hero. In The Seminarian, Hart Hanson has sent his gloriously unforgettable characters into a wondrously twisty-turny mystery that the reader will never want to end. More please!” –Stephen Fry
A Criminal Element Pick of Most Anticipated 2024 Books!
From the creator of the TV show Bones, The Seminarian is a twisty murder mystery perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich and Carl Hiaasen.
Xavier “Priest” Priestly is a snarky former seminarian turned private investigator. Dusty Queen is a hard-as-nails professional stuntwoman and freelance bodyguard. When Dusty’s girlfriend suddenly disappears, a woman in a strange blue wig tries to assassinate Priest, and a twelve-year-old boy shows up claiming to be his son, the two friends are thrown into a maelstrom of intrigue and high-stakes violence that’s as convoluted and dangerous as it is hilarious.
Thankfully, Priest and Dusty don’t have to navigate these tangled mysteries alone. Aided by a lawyer who’s underwhelmed by their extra-legal methods, a strait-laced detective who doesn’t trust them as far as he can throw them, and Priest’s father, a notorious bank robber, they are well equipped to deal with potential kidnapping and attempted murder. But whether Priest is up to the challenge of a son with a gun, a backpack full of weed, and a major attitude problem … well, that’s a different story.
With its unforgettable cast, parade of twists and turns, and breakneck pace, The Seminarian showcases Hart Hanson at his best. Packed with action and glistening with snappy dialogue, surprising tenderness, and (mostly) good people doing some exceptionally bad things, this distinctive thriller is as entertaining as it is insightful.
Michael Skellig is a limo driver waiting for his client in the alley behind an upscale hotel. He’s spent the past twenty-eight hours ferrying around Bismarck Avila, a celebrity skateboard mogul who isn’t going home any time soon. Suddenly the wind begins to speak to Skellig in the guttural accent of the Chechen torturer he shot through the eye in Yemen a decade ago: Troubletroubletrouble. Skellig has heard these warnings before—he’s an Army Special Forces sergeant whose limo company is staffed by a ragtag band of wounded veterans, including his Afghan interpreter—and he knows to listen carefully.
Skellig runs inside just in time to save Avila from two gunmen but too late for one of Avila’s bodyguards—and wakes up hours later in the hospital, the only person of interest in custody for the murder. Complicating matters further is the appearance of Detective Delilah Groopman of the LAPD, gorgeous and brash, for whom Skellig has always held a candle. As for Avila? He’s willing to help clear Skellig’s name under one peculiar condition: that Skellig become Avila’s personal chauffeur. A cushy gig for any driver, except for the fact that someone is clearly trying to kill Avila, and Skellig is literally the only person sitting between Avila and a bullet to the head.
Starring Tracy Dawson, Hart Hanson, Susin Nielsen & Andrew Phung
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