by 
A Financial Times Crime Book of the Year
Longlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger
A retro crime thriller for fans of Elmore Leonard, Don Winslow and Bill Beverly.
CANYON COUNTY, HALLOWEEN 1983
Three deadly bombings in less than 24 hours are giving LAPD transplants, Detective Marty Sinclair and his partner Al Alvarez, a major headache. But can they find the bomber before he kills again?
Set deep in the religious heartlands of America, The Killing of Bobbi Lomax follows this troubled investigation as a narrative of deceit, corruption and forgery emerges, with an unlikely hero at its heart – a rare coins, books and manuscript dealer – who could either be a genius or the devil.
Hypnotically creepy … Written by a former private detective, this is a spooky crime debut with Stephen King-style twists. (Daily Mail)
Explosive … a pacy, cerebral thriller. (Stylist)
‘[A] total wow of a first novel. Moriarty can do breakneck speed without skimping on the development of her characters. Superb.’ (Kate Saunders The Times)
‘crime fiction aficionados are in luck right now – barely a month seems to pass without a first-time novelist arriving fully formed, with all the authority of older hands. The latest is Cal Moriarty, who centres her debut on an unassuming book-lover who may also be an ingenious murderer. Clark Houseman comes to the attention of Moriarty’s tenacious detectives Sinclair and Alvarez when bombs go off in the US city of Abraham, killing the eponymous Bobbi Lomax and a man named Peter Gudsen. The survivor is Houseman, who turns out to be a skilled forger of literary signatures and, like Lomax and Gudsen, to have belonged to a sinister sect, The Faith. Moriarty’s novel is a blistering examination of both the criminal mind and the dark secrets that lie within America’s Bible Belt.‘ (Barry Forshaw Financial Times)
The Killing of Bobbi Lomax is an explosive, intelligent and gripping thriller that takes you deep into an underworld of religious cults and high stakes counterfeiting. The story hurtles along with great pace and panache and the dialogue is superb and surprising. A high-pitched, dream-fevered brilliant debut novel from a writer we’ll no doubt be hearing lots from. (Stav Sherez, author of A DARK REDEMPTION and ELEVEN DAYS)
Moriarty writes with a real flair for dynamic action, detail and pace. The Killing of Bobbi Lomax is an evocative, original novel. Noirish, modern, with a dry comic edge. (Laline Paull, author of THE BEES)
‘The Killing of Bobbi Lomax is an ambitious crime novel … Well done Cal Moriarty, for concocting a clever crime cocktail with so many unusual ingredients.’ (Thriller Books Journal)
‘[A] quirky novel that makes a particular virtue of its pre-internet setting.’ (Metro)
Although this is Cal Moriaty’s first novel, she’s delivered a crafted and assured book with a strong and sophisticated plot. She’s not relied on clichéd themes or settings, but instead chosen and developed a thoughtful story that kept me puzzled and engaged’ (Crime Warp)
‘The Killing of Bobbi Lomax is a superb crime debut – multi-layered, with absolutely fascinating characters, terrific descriptive prose and a really really intriguing tale.’ (Liz Wilkins Liz Loves Books)
To Buy
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