2012 NEW PULP PRESS SOFTCOVER *Starred Review* If there’s a blender lying on the floor in a noir hero’s squalid bedsit, you can pretty much figure that some part of someone is going into it by book’s end. But if the title tells you Frank Sinatra is going in the blender, and if there’s a cute little Yorkie on the jacket cover, well, you don’t really know what to think, but you know it can’t be good. Similarly, if that same noir hero carries a chainsaw in his Crown Vic, you would naturally assume he’s going to use it eventually, but would even a drunken, stoned, terminally out-of-control noir hero really wield a chainsaw for something other than chopping firewood? Sure, good and bad are relative concepts in noir, but a chainsaw? Nick Valentine, the boozing, pill-popping hero of this insanely dark, grotesquely funny noir is himself a relative concept. Is his loyalty to the St. Louis police chief, who raised him like a son; or to the buffoonish thieves who convive to lift a million dollars from some even more buffoonish (and decidedly more lethal) crooks who stole it in the first place; or to that Yorkie on the cover (and, no, we’re not telling you the dog’s name)? Mixing comedy with noir, the mundane with the horrific, isn’t quite as easy as having your bad guys discuss Big Macs, á la Pulp Fiction; no, to really ride the edge between riotous and revolting you need a hero who lives on that same edge, and no one does that more convincingly than Valentine. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he’s in the habit of walking into a bar and ordering a shot of Patrón, a shot of Jim Beam, a Corona, and a Captain ’n’ Coke—all for himself. That’s not a first round for everyone, but for those who can hold their liquor, this is a debut thriller to savor. And to hell with the hangover. --Bill Ott "High-octane, casually brutal action keeps the story slipping and sliding through the icy winter streets with touches of macabre humor providing laughter even amid the carnage. Fans of offbeat characters and grisly noir are in for a treat."-- Publishers Weekly This is Matthew McBride's debut novel. "Matthew McBride is one of those rare writers who can have you reeling in shock one minute, and laughing out loud the next. Frank Sinatra in a Blender is a prime example. This book is a fun, twisted romp through McBride's uniquely warped imagination. I loved every minute of it."-- John Rector, national bestselling author of Already Gone, The Cold Kiss, and The Grove . " Frank Sinatra in a Blender is a darkly shining example of psycho noir that takes it to the wall and then straight through. Stark, startling, extreme, haunting, and even poignant at times, the work of Matt McBride is going to be talked about for years to come."-- Tom Piccirilli, author of The Last Kind Words " There's a great line toward the end of this book where Nick Valentine says, "A chainsaw cuts best when it's operated at full throttle." And damn if he's not right, it does work best. This is a violent hell-trip of a book full of drugs and drink and bad people you like as soon as you meet 'em. Make no mistake, McBride is the king of Chainsaw Noir , and there's no one else who can step to the throne."-- Chuck Wendig, author of Blackbirds and Mockingbird " Frank Sinatra in a Blender is a perfect mix of hardboiled fiction and pulp noir--with a perfect mix of Hunter S. Thompson. To say I loved this book is an understatement."-- Brad Wyman, Hollywood film producer of Freeway and Monster "Matthew McBride makes Mickey Spillane read like Barbara Cartland. If you're trying to give up coffee and cigarettes but aren't quite ready to give up the oxy, Frank Sinatra in a Blender is the book for you." -- Scott Phillips, author of The Ice Harvest "I enjoyed the fuck out of this book."-- Josh Bazell, author of Beat the Reaper "Read [ Frank Sinatra in a Blender ] in a day. Loved it!"-- Charlie Sheen Used Book in Good Condition