The Kindle title is not currently available for purchase
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

North of Nowhere (Alex McKnight) Kindle Edition

4.4 out of 5 stars 869

'That summer, it was all about secrets... I already had one bullet inside me. I knew I didn't have room for another.' A superb Alex McKnight novel from award-winning Steve Hamilton

Alex McKnight rarely ventures out from his home these days, even to spend time at his friend Jackie's Glasgow Inn. Even as he lets Jackie force him out one night for a poker game at a stranger's house, Alex is certain it's a bad idea. And when the genial atmosphere rapidly deteriorates, he starts to think maybe he was right. Then three masked, armed robbers burst through the door, and things get a whole lot worse.

Soon Alex's three closest friends are implicated in the robbery, and Alex finds himself the object of hostile attention from the victim. As events spin out of control, it becomes clear that somebody is not telling the truth, and has put them all in terrible danger...

Next 5 for you in this series See full series
Total Price: $47.51
By clicking on the above button, you agree to Amazon's Kindle Store Terms of Use

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

That Steve Hamilton has won a following by writing private-eye novels about a guy who has no interest in being a PI is testament both to his storytelling talents and readers' hunger for fresh approaches to this genre. North of Nowhere finds ex-Detroit cop Alex McKnight celebrating his 49th birthday by retreating to his cabin in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where he laments his personal and career failures. Eventually, though, McKnight is coaxed out with the prospect of a poker game, hosted by wealthy contractor Winston Vargas, only to have the game interrupted by armed men in masks, who empty Vargas's safe and leave clues suggesting that Alex and his fellow players engineered the heist.

Now, McKnight really has reason to feel sorry for himself. But instead, he goes after the gunmen, along the way swapping sucker punches with Vargas, shaking down his former detective partner (who videotaped the thieves' escape), and discovering that even his friends harbor secrets that could get them all killed.

This fourth McKnight outing (after 2001's The Hunting Wind) is a fine showcase for Hamilton's lithesome prose. The pace is brisk, the episodes often humorous, and the tale brims with an infectious reverence for its natural setting ("God help me, on a summer night when the sun is going down, it is the most beautiful place on earth"). If Hammett moved the detective story from the drawing room into the mean streets, Hamilton has proved that the north woods have their own potential for homicidal intrigue. --J. Kingston Pierce

From Publishers Weekly

No longer a cop, inactive as a private eye, classic loner Alex McKnight has retreated to his lakeside cabin in this superb yarn, Edgar-winner Hamilton's fourth after 2001's The Hunting Wind. In fact, Alex has become so much a recluse in the little town of Paradise in Michigan's Upper Peninsula that his few friends are worried about him. That leads Jackie Connery, the Scottish-raised proprietor of the bar where Alex sometimes hangs out, to badger him into joining a friendly power game at the home of Win Vargas. Before Alex can even work up a good dislike of the blustery, wealth-flaunting Vargas, three armed men interrupt the poker game. While Alex, Jackie and the other players are held at gunpoint, their host is led off to open a safe and his treasured collection of artifacts in trashed or stolen. From that quick beginning, events move swiftly and strangely. Alex finds Vargas's suspicions centering on him; the police, let my old enemy Chief Roy Maven, think Jack and the other players were in on the robbery. And Alex's ex-partner, PI Leon Prudell, turns out to have yet another take on who's behind the robbery. Hamilton keeps the action fast and furious and manages to keep the read off balance almost as much as his hero. As usual, Alex takes more than his share of lumps as he rediscovers the importance of friendship, loyalty and courage. While Alex McKnight would probably hate the idea, mysteries this good may make him extremely popular. Agent, Jane Chelius. (May 13)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0049MPI20
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orion; New Ed edition (August 26, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 26, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 633 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 358 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0312983816
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 869

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Steve Hamilton
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Steve Hamilton is the New York Times bestselling author of both the Alex McKnight series and the standalone novel The Lock Artist, currently in film development. He's one of only two authors in history (along with Ross Thomas) to win the Edgar Award for Best First Novel and then to follow that up later in his career with an Edgar for Best Novel. Beyond that, he's either won or been nominated for every other major crime fiction award in America and the UK, and his books are now translated into twenty languages. He attended the University of Michigan, where he won the prestigious Hopwood Award for writing. He currently lives in upstate New York with his wife and their two children. Visit his Web site at www.authorstevehamilton.com.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
869 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2021
I am reading Alex McKnight mystery series and have really enjoyed it. Believable characters and great mystery
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2016
Being born and raised in Northern Michigan makes the UPer setting of this book series extra special for me. Steve Hamilton does an excellent job of creating major events for real characters in a real setting . North of Nowhere a good addition to the series but is better if you have read earlier books in the series. The story is focused on Alex's friends and his vulnerability by having their backs with no questions asked. This was a good read but not as believable as other books in the series.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2023
It is definitely one of the best of the Alex McNight books I have read so far: a page turner from beginning to end.
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2019
Another great story from Steve Hamilton. I’m enjoying the series and looking forward to the next. Well written and good plot lines.
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2002
Steve Hamilton writes with great assurance--lean prose with exceptional characterizations and superior plotting. He has yet to disappoint. This time out, the temperamental McKnight winds up in a world of trouble simply by acting as the last-minute sixth player in a poker game at the home of the feisty (think bantam rooster) and eccentric Win Vargas. When a holdup occurs mid-game and Vargas's safe is burgled and some of his treasured artifacts lifted, Vargas comes to the bizarre conclusion that McKnight is the mastermind behind the plot.
With the help of his former partner, Leon Prudell (the lovably nerdy straight arrow who has to be one of the most unlikely private investigators ever created) McKnight ultimately unravels the the how of the scheme--but not before his friend/mentor Jackie winds up in the hands of a pair of lethal Canadian brothers. With a climax that is literally cold and wet and stomach-churningly tense, this is a can't-put-down mystery.
Then, with what used to be called "a sting in the tail" Hamilton adds a painful little twist at the end that is completely unexpected.
Highly recommended.
19 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2002
Having read all 3 of Hamilton's previous novels, I was anxious to see what he had in store for us this time around. I have to say that I was disappointed. The story starts out with us learning that Alex McKnight was having a mid-life crisis. By the time I was halfway through it, I was wondering if Steve Hamilton might not be having one too.
The story just didn't draw me in the way the others did. It seemed rushed, and the characters were not nearly as well developed as in his previous works. While the ending was a kind of a surprise, I was still glad this story was over.
If you're looking for a good read, check out Hamilton's first 3 novels...all are fantastic. If you've already read them, and enjoyed them as much as I did, then I'd suggest you save yourself [the money] on this one and wait for the paperback.
7 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2013
I mean this in the best possible way... The way a brother would speak about his brother getting into difficult situations as Alex McKnight does. He is an exciting and believable character and the setting in the UP makes a great backdrop to all his adventures, especially if you enjoy the great outdoors. These novels are all but impossible to put down. It's one of a handful of series I've had to force myself to put down so I wouldn't finish the series so quickly. I lost North of Nowhere before I read it (actually it was stolen) so I ordered it on my Kindle which makes reading a real pleasure. The other 5 Alex McKnight novels I have are all paperback so I get to enjoy good old fashioned page turning. I hope Steve Hamilton and Alex McKnight live a long time.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2020
Yes, we've all read this genre before: the ex-cop who wants to be left alone, drinks a bit too much, who in spite of himself always want to do the right thing. That said, this book is better than most. Good writing, good plot, good characters. The denouement was a bit forced but not completely unbelievable.

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Zvi Feler
5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfied customer
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2017
Item arrived on time and as described
Mary Kay
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Series!
Reviewed in Canada on May 16, 2014
I love this author Steve Hamilton. His books are exciting and I love the local flavour since I live on the Canadian side across the Bay from Lighthouse Point, a little west of King's Club Casino. I am familiar with all the places he describes in his books so I get a kick when he mentions our Canadian towns of Chapleau, Blind River, Wawa etc. I also worked as a civilian for the OPP, Sault Ste. Marie for many years so when he mentions our men and women on the job I can certainly relate. Thanks for writing about the north Steve Hamilton, I truly enjoy your work. Paradise, Michigan is a lovely area.
crazyquilt
4.0 out of 5 stars いつものアレックス
Reviewed in Japan on July 25, 2003
今までに起こった事件が原因で、アレックスは自分のキャビンに引きこもるようになってしまう。
そんな時、グラスゴー・インのジャッキーが、ある家で行われるポーカーにアレックスを強引に連れて行く。ゲームのさなか、その家に強盗が入り込んでくる。
そのあとは、友達を守るため、いつものアレックスが戻ってくる。「手を出すな」と言われても、後戻りしないアレックスが。
この強盗事件は意外な方向に進み、いつものように物語に引き込まれて、一気に読み終わってしまった。
このシリーズが好きな人ならば、読んで損はないと思う。
Chris Grundy
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2016
Another good read.
Dave
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
Reviewed in Canada on May 29, 2021
Loved the story and how it was written. Very well done, and I'll be back for more of Steve Hamilton's books.
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?