The Identity Man [Paperback]

“A compelling moral fable in the shape of a gritty, twist-filled thriller.”—Wall Street Journal

John Shannon is a petty thief on the run. A three-time loser framed for murder, he knows that he’s facing life in prison—or death by lethal injection. Then, a bizarre text message draws him to a meeting in the dark of night. A foreigner who calls himself the Identity Man offers Shannon an incredible chance to start again: a new face, a new home, a new beginning. In a ruined city trying to rebuild, he gets work as a carpenter, and falls in love. It seems too good to be true—and it is. It turns out this city is crawling with crooked politicians, gangsters, and dirty cops—all of whom seem to want Shannon dead.

Moving through the shambles of a town, he’s got to ferret out the secret of his new life—and fast—if he wants to be left with any life at all.

“A gripping thriller.”—Entertainment Weekly

“A work of intense realism pervaded by sorrow, mercy, hope—and ultimately, transcendence.”—Washington Times

Edgar-winner Klavan's compelling thriller focuses on smalltime criminal John Shannon, who commits petty crimes, usually burglary, out of boredom as much as any need for financial gain. When a job spins out of control and a man gets killed, Shannon goes on the run. After receiving an enigmatic text message, Shannon is captured and taken to a laboratory where he's given a new face, a new name, and a new life, courtesy of the mysterious identity man. Shannon moves to an unnamed city that resembles New Orleans, where he finds work as a carpenter. In a parallel plot, Lt. Brick Ramsey, a good cop gone bad, finds himself drawn deep into a local political struggle with fatal consequences. How Klavan (Empire of Lies) merges the two plots and saves Shannon may confound some readel#q