PRAISE FOR ALAN WATT’S DIAMOND DOGS

Dark, sparklingly written…the story transforms into something far more complex than how a criminal covers his tracks… subtle, deadpan humor and slyly evoked telling details… an emotionally fraught father-son relationship gives the book its depth… Watt delivers a moving, multifaceted story that sharply explores the legacy of violence, distorted forms of love and the high cost of genuine freedom.
– The New York Times Book Review

Exquisite psychological fiction… resonating with suspense, wit and perception.
– Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Here, undoubtedly, the best first foreign novel of the new year! A true revelation. Far from the traditional whodunit, the novel takes paths much more complex than those of an ordinary police investigation… Exceptional by the force and the smoothness of the feelings which it describes, Watt’s novel touches in a masterly way…explores with clearness a small community with choking social codes… its voice resonates.
- Initiales (Independent Booksellers Assoc. of France)

Filled with very big laughs and bull’s eye observations about modern society. Much here reminds you of Stephen King’s early novels on the horrors of growing up.
– Cleveland Plain Dealer

A maelstrom of a novel… Watt writes with a lot of punch, turning the conventions of hard-boiled pulp upon the miseries of youth.
– The Los Angeles Times

Watt has a knack for deploying well-timed plot points to reveal crucial information… the dialogue is savage…vivid… incisive scenes that capture the petty cruelties and poignant betrayals of adolescents.
- Publisher’s Weekly

Bold… it is hard to think of another novel that delves so tellingly into the interior life of a high school athlete - Washington Post Book World
(from Book World Raves
– Year in Review Recommended List)

A beautifully written story about high school sports as therapy and dangerous distraction, and the fragile bonds that hold families together… well deserved stardom!
– The Chicago Tribune

WINNER – 2004 PRIX PRENTEMPS
(Best Foreign Novel - Independent Booksellers Assoc. of France)

WINNER - American Library Assoc.’s ‘Alex Award’

New York Times Notable Book of the Year
Nominated Best First Novel – Arthur Ellis Awards
Los Angeles Times Bestseller
Barnes and Noble– Discover Great New Writers

The cream of the debut-novel crop… a literary feast of the first order… its 17-year-old narrative voice rings entirely true.
– Denver Rocky Mountain News

This debut novel reveals an assured talent for complex narrative… a sensitive, darkly funny exploration of a poisonous father-son dynamic… the cranked up drama is arresting… keenly observed, touching and unusually honest in its sensual revelations.
– The Globe and Mail

Guilt runs through every page of this book like the writing in a stick of rock… terse prose and a tight plot provide the perfect pitch for this story of family secrets, revenge and redemption
– The London Times

One of this fall’s most talked about books.
- Interview Magazine

A stunning literary debut… DIAMOND DOGS snaps along at Hitchcockian pace and boasts enough clever literary devices to occupy any hip high school English teacher for a semester. The dark humor begs for a screenplay.
– The Toronto Star

An exciting debut… a tight drama that quickly flies by… the story is a movie, a perfect teenage film noir.
– Seattle Times

Watt is a superb storyteller with an amazing ability to create suspense… fascinating and elaborate characters… multi-layered, complex and tragically realistic.
– Winnipeg Free Press