book cover of Lamentation
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Lamentation

(2014)
(The first book in the Jay Porter series)
A novel by

 
 
Awards
2015 Anthony Award for Best Novel (nominee)

Anthony Award nominee for Best Mystery Novel

How much should one brother sacrifice for another?

In a frigid New Hampshire winter, Jay Porter is trying to eke out a living and maintain some semblance of a relationship with his former girlfriend and their two-year-old son. When he receives an urgent call that Chris, his drug-addicted and chronically drunk brother, is being questioned by the sheriff about his missing junkie business partner, Jay feels obliged to come to his rescue.

After Jay negotiates his brother's release from the county jail, Chris disappears into the night. As Jay begins to search for him, he is plunged into a cauldron of ugly lies and long-kept secrets that could tear apart his small hometown and threaten the lives of Jay and all those he holds dear.

Powerful forces come into play that will stop at nothing until Chris is dead and the information he harbors is destroyed.

Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Dennis Lehane

While all of the novels in the Jay Porter Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:

Lamentation
December Boys
Give Up the Dead
Broken Ground
Rag and Bone



Genre: Mystery

Praise for this book

"Joe Clifford is a talent to be recognized, and I predict readers will remember his name for a long time." - David Corbett

"Some books live on in your mind long after you put them down, and Lamentation is one of them. The novel' perfectly constructed plot unfolds with the thoughtful precision and menace of a cat burglar. The pervasive atmosphere of psychological suspense ratchets up a notch with each page turned. Most of all, it was the voice of Jay Porter, the book's protagonist, that grabbed me from the start cocky and smart, sarcastic yet soulful, barely able to keep his life together yet determined to help his troubled brother. Joe Clifford's talent is exceptional." - Hilary Davidson

"Clifford paints true-to-life characters with the same gritty touch as the best of Dennis Lehane. Straightforward and edgy, Lamentation gnaws with nail-biting tension on every page. A must-read for contemporary hardboiled mystery fans who appreciate the type of terse dialogue and real life conflicts and settings Elmore Leonard so richly brought to life." - Robert Dugoni

"Jay Porteris a solid New England guy who s had a troubled life. His parents died in an auto accident under suspicious circumstances when he was a kid. His brother is a drug addict. He and his girl have split up. He barely knows his young son. He makes ends meet bydoing odd jobs. Yet when his brother is suspected of murdering his business partner, Jay s staunch character and moral code compel him to help his siblingand stare down his personal demons. From its compelling opening through its stunning climax, Lamentation is deftly plotted, immensely readable and artfully executed. This story is as chilling as a winter day in Northern New Hampshire." - Sheldon Siegel


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