Darwin's Nightmare (A Wilson Mystery) [Hardcover]

Mike Knowles (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Wilson Mystery | Publication Date: October 1, 2008

Wilson has spent his entire life under the radar. Few people know who he is and even less know how to find him. Only two people even know his real occupation, carrying out confidential—and illegal—jobs for a very bad man. But one day he crosses the line, saving his friends and earning the hatred of a vengeful mob boss. He survives only by delving even deeper into the underworld of Hamilton. His next job is deceptively simple—transporting a seemingly harmless bag whose contents are both secret and dangerously valuable. Soon Wilson discovers who the bag’s real owners are and just how badly they want it back.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The evolution of the gangster novel takes a step forward with Darwin's Nightmare. Mike Knowles' hardboiled spin on Hamilton's underworld is written with a tireless and controlled intensity."  —Alan Guthrie, author, Savage Night

"Relentless. Only the most ruthless survive. A fantastic new hard-boiled voice. Anti-hero Wilson is pitch-perfect."  —John McFetridge, author, Dirty Sweet

"A debut novel with an assured, strongly focused voice and hard-boiled writing that reminds you of Mickey Spillane. . . . The violence is raw, the energy of the writing is addictive, and the story reveals life as it unravels from the wrong side of the gun."  —The Hamilton Spectator

"A sobering look at what happens when a tentative quest for morality comes up against the reality that everyone lives in the jungle, where life has no value."  —Quill & Quire

"Fans of Richard Stark and Andrew Vacchs will immediately recognize [this author's] cold-blooded pragmatism and brass-knuckled approach to problem solving. . . . The action is straight, hard and fast and the characters are as sharply etched as this stuff gets . . . as clean and tight a debut as I've seen recently."  —Mystery Scene

"Fans of Charlie Huston and Chuck Palahniuk will probably enjoy Darwin's Nightmare."  —Sacramento Book Review

"This is a good first novel, particularly as a counterweight to the often flaccid mysteries this country produces. Crime fans will enjoy the book and should watch for his next offering."  —Driven

"This fast paced novel is not for the faint of heart."  —MagillOnLiterature Plus

About the Author

Mike Knowles studied writing at McMaster University before pursuing a career in education. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550228420
• ISBN-13: 978-1550228427
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,247,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mike Knowles studied writing at McMaster University before pursuing a career in education. He became an elementary teacher and currently teaches in Hamilton where he lives with his wife and dog. He has written two novels Darwin's Nightmare and Grinder.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hamilton Hardcore, October 6, 2008

By 

Geoff Eighinger (EasternStandardCrime.com) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Darwin's Nightmare (A Wilson Mystery) (Hardcover)

Remind me never to visit the mean streets of Hamilton, Ontario anytime soon. After reading Darwin's Nightmare, the debut novel by Mike Knowles it seems everything but safe.

Our tour guide in this quick, gritty journey through the Hamilton underworld is a professional grifter known simply as Wilson. The story opens with Wilson swiping a package for his employer, the Italian mob led by Paolo Donati. Unfortunately, the package was a bag containing computer disks which contain crucial accounting information involving the Russian mob. Throw in a few computer nerds and Wilson is facing three enemies at once.

Wilson finds himself in between the two groups, who both end up wanting to kill him for different reasons in the battle for Hamilton supremacy. Forever the loner, Wilson has just one true friend - a bar owner named Steve who has Wilson to thank for even being alive.
"I thought to myself, a friend who will clean up dried blood for you is a friend for life."
The book was intense, exciting and in some parts very gruesome (one poor soul loses an ear and a nose before being stomped to death) but did not stand out in one way or another. It was definitely a stellar first effort for Knowles, the Canadian elementary school teacher who will probably avoid reading this one to the kiddies.

Paolo Donati, the self-proclaimed "King of the f****** jungle" was your typical mafia don. He and Wilson were always at odds, especially when our protagonist assisted in taking the life of Donati's top henchman, but Wilson was always spared.

One thing I enjoyed was Knowles describing the steps Wilson took before executing any task. Wilson would meticulously scout a building before parking a few blocks away and walking toward imminent danger. However, this grew tedious at times.

Darwin's Nightmare did not feature the usual Hollywood ending but it wasn't much better. Would I recommend this to a fan of Hammett? Nah.

Overall, the story featured a high body count and a low quality ending.