The Wheelman: A Novel
Apr 2010 · Macmillan + ORM
4.5star
10 reviewsreport
Ebook
256
Pages
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About this ebook
“An enigmatic getaway driver chases, and is chased by, cops and mobsters” in this action-packed hard-boiled thriller debut (Kirkus Reviews).
Meet Lennon, a mute Irish getaway driver who has fallen in with the wrong heist team on the wrong day at the wrong bank. Betrayed, his money stolen and his battered carcass left for dead, Lennon is on a one-way mission to find out who is responsible—and to get back his loot. But the robbery has sent a violent ripple effect through the streets of Philadelphia. And now a dirty cop, the Russian and Italian mobs, the mayor’s hired gun, and a keyboard player in a college rock band maneuver for position as this adrenaline-fueled novel twists and turns its way toward its explosive conclusion.
One thing’s for sure: this cast of characters wakes up in a much different world by novel’s end—if they wake up at all.
Praise for The Wheelman
“If you are partial to fast-paced thrillers that present this world as an unforgiving, blood-soaked wasteland, you should love Duane Swierczynski’s first novel. Swierczynski’s novel, like those of [Elmore] Leonard, offers an undertow of humor beneath the churning sea of man’s inhumanity.” —The Washington Post
“[A] promising debut. . . . The gripping tale of a heist gone wrong.” —Robert Wade, San Diego Union-Tribune
“A great heist story in the rich tradition of Richard Stark’s Parker novels and Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing . . . keeps readers holding their breath to see what’s going to happen next. It is clearly the work of a maturing writer who is possessed of a keen style and abundant talent.” —Philadelphia Inquirer
Meet Lennon, a mute Irish getaway driver who has fallen in with the wrong heist team on the wrong day at the wrong bank. Betrayed, his money stolen and his battered carcass left for dead, Lennon is on a one-way mission to find out who is responsible—and to get back his loot. But the robbery has sent a violent ripple effect through the streets of Philadelphia. And now a dirty cop, the Russian and Italian mobs, the mayor’s hired gun, and a keyboard player in a college rock band maneuver for position as this adrenaline-fueled novel twists and turns its way toward its explosive conclusion.
One thing’s for sure: this cast of characters wakes up in a much different world by novel’s end—if they wake up at all.
Praise for The Wheelman
“If you are partial to fast-paced thrillers that present this world as an unforgiving, blood-soaked wasteland, you should love Duane Swierczynski’s first novel. Swierczynski’s novel, like those of [Elmore] Leonard, offers an undertow of humor beneath the churning sea of man’s inhumanity.” —The Washington Post
“[A] promising debut. . . . The gripping tale of a heist gone wrong.” —Robert Wade, San Diego Union-Tribune
“A great heist story in the rich tradition of Richard Stark’s Parker novels and Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing . . . keeps readers holding their breath to see what’s going to happen next. It is clearly the work of a maturing writer who is possessed of a keen style and abundant talent.” —Philadelphia Inquirer
Ratings and reviews
4.5
10 reviews
Bill Franklin
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August 26, 2021
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this. Swierczynski is a writer at Marvel Comics, which explains a lot. It is fast paced with short chapters divided into short sections. It is hard to put down. Lennon is a lot like a superhero, seemingly able to survive things that others can’t, but even he has a limit. Lennon is just a wheelman. He doesn’t rob or kill; he just handles the robbers’ escape for a share of the “earnings.” It starts with his accomplices trapped between the two sets of doors of the downtown Philadelphia bank. He has to think fast, just part of the job. But that’s not the only problem because someone has betrayed them. Lennon goes from disaster to disaster, but pushes on because his family’s lives are also at stake. This thriller/mystery won’t make any top literature lists but that’s OK. I don’t want to cheer for bank robbers but this is fun. And, unlike many quick novels, it is very detailed yet doesn’t feel the need to tie up every loose end the way we want.
Sean Childers (Kensukete)
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September 1, 2018
Like Baby Driver, but darker, more violent, and very twisted. Loved it. This author needs more recognition.
About the author
DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI is the author of The Wheelman, The Blonde, Severance Package, and Expiration Date, and writes for Marvel Comics. The Wheelman was nominated for the Gumshoe Award. He lives in Philadelphia.
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