<b>From the writer whose work has been called “truly, hellishly gritty” (<i>Los Angeles Times</i>) comes a gnarled mystery with shades of Philip K. Dick and James Ellroy</b><br><br> Jim Nisbet is a cult favorite in Europe and itÂ's easy to see why. HeÂ's “a lot more than just good . . . his style has overtones of Walker PercyÂ' s smooth southern satin, but his characters—losers, grifters, con men—hark back to the days of James M. CainÂ's twisted images of morality,” writes the <i>Toronto Globe-Mail</i>. In the tradition of Jim Thompson and Damon Runyon, Jim Nisbet is too good to miss and <i>Windward Passage</i> is a masterpiece that raises the bar even for a master like Nisbet.<br><br> In the parallel near-future, a ship named for a jellyfish sinks into the Caribbean with its captain chained to the mast. Left behind is a logbook missing ten pages, presidential DNA hidden in a brick of smuggled cocaine, and a nearly-completed novel. Tipsy, the dead sailorÂ' s sister, and Red Means, his erstwhile employer, travel from San Francisco to the Caribbean and back as they attempt to unravel a mystery that rapidly widens from death at sea to international conspiracy.<br><br> With verve and humor to match the <i>Illuminati Trilogy</i>, Nesbitt has fashioned an engaging facsimile of our modern world, albeit with snappier dialogue, amped-up technology, and even more clearly stated political prejudices. “Neither Norman Mailer nor Truman Capote has in their writing been able to produce such an intensity as Nisbet has achieved,” writes GermanyÂ's <i>Die Welt</i>. Pick up <i>Windward Passage</i> and see why.<br><br> <b>Praise for the work of Jim Nisbet</b><br> “Sure, Nisbet breaks all the rules, but thatÂ's really the whole point. His novels are the literary equivalent of road trips, and a good road trip follows no map.” — <i>Booklist</i><br><br> “Jim NisbetÂ's power of suggestion . . . seduces the imagination without churning the stomach.” —<i>Wichita Times-Record</i><br><br> “NisbetÂ's prose drives and sparkles as it takes the reader into a world without morality or ethics.” —<i>San Antonio Express-News</i>