A Christopher Marlowe Cobb Thriller
War correspondent Christopher Marlowe 'Kit' Cobb arrives in Vera Cruz, Mexico, to cover the country's civil war. A passionate believer in the power of a free press and the moral superiority of the United States, Kit is no mere observer. He assumes a false identity to pursue German diplomat Friedrich von Mensinger en route to a meeting with revolutionary leader Pancho Villa, and the correspondent soon finds himself up to his neck in political intrigue. Along the way he's nearly shot by a mysterious sniper, joins forces with a double agent and falls in love with a headstrong young Mexican woman who may be mixed up in the revolutionary plot.
Industry Reviews
"This high-spirited adventure by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler is an antic concoction of genre cliches, literary sendups, personal homages, fanciful history and passages of great writing." --The New York Times Book Review
"It's an exciting story, much of it based on fact, and Butler has a good time with it. His writing is both crisp and thoughtful, his people ring true and he offers an amusing portrait of a golden age in journalism...The Hot Country is a thinking person's thriller, the kind of exotic adventure that, in better days, would have been filmed by Sam Peckinpah." --Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post
"Butler takes an often-overlooked chapter of history and turns it into a whip-smart tale of intrigue and espionage." --CNN.com
"Enjoyable novel that should attract devotees of espionage and historical fiction." --Library Journal
"A fine stylist, Butler renders the time and place in perfect detail."--Publishers Weekly
"An awfully good read" --Criminal Intent
"[The Hot Country is] Robert Olen Butler's fast-paced entree into adventure tales. Add a little Indiana Jones and you get the picture: a smart guy also handy with his fists and firearms, burdened with a dedication to finding out the truth." --Plaza de Armas
"Ray Chase's characterization of journalist Christopher Marlowe Cobb sublimely captures his transition from war correspondent . . . to undercover operative." --AudioFile
"Pancho Villa, fiery senoritas, and Germans up to no good-- Robert Olen Butler is having fun in The Hot Country and readers will too. An intelligent entertainment with colorful history." --Joseph Kanon, New York Times bestselling author of The Good German and Istanbul Passage
"The Hot Country is a spirited and beautifully told tale of adventure and intrigue in the grand old style, rich in both insight and atmosphere. Going off to war with Kit Cobb is as bracing and fun as it used to be in George M
"This high-spirited adventure by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler is an antic concoction of genre cliches, literary sendups, personal homages, fanciful history and passages of great writing."--New York Times Book Review
"It's an exciting story, much of it based on fact, and Butler has a good time with it. His writing is both crisp and thoughtful, his people ring true and he offers an amusing portrait of a golden age in journalism. . . . The Hot Country is a thinking person's thriller, the kind of exotic adventure that, in better days, would have been filmed by Sam Peckinpah."--Washington Post
"Butler takes an often-overlooked chapter of history and turns it into a whip-smart tale of intrigue and espionage."--CNN.com
"A high-spirited adventure."--Charlotte Observer
"Enjoyable novel that should attract devotees of espionage and historical fiction."--Library Journal
"A fine stylist, Butler renders the time and place in perfect detail."--Publishers Weekly
"An awfully good read."--Criminal Intent
"[The Hot Country is] Robert Olen Butler's fast-paced entree into adventure tales. Add a little Indiana Jones and you get the picture: a smart guy also handy with his fists and firearms, burdened with a dedication to finding out the truth."--Plaza de Armas
"Pancho Villa, fiery senoritas, and Germans up to no good--Robert Olen Butler is having fun in The Hot Country and readers will too. An intelligent entertainment with colorful history."--Joseph Kanon, New York Times bestselling author of The Good German and Istanbul Passage
"The Hot Country is a spirited and beautifully told tale of adventure and intrigue in the grand old style, rich in both insight and atmosphere. Going off to war with Kit Cobb is as bracing and fun as it used to be in George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman books, or in Perez-Reverte's Captain Alatriste novels. And the best part is that there are more to come. Saddle up."--Dan Fesperman, Hammett award-winning author of The Double Game
