The Cruelty

Description

A groundbreaking YA thriller following a diplomat's daughter from New York to Europe's criminal underworld in search of her kidnapped father. The Cruelty is the first book from a groundbreaking new YA voice: an utterly compelling thriller. When Gwendolyn Bloom realizes that her father has been kidnapped, she has to take matters into her own hands. She traces him from New York City across the dark underbelly of Europe, taking on a new identity to survive in a world of brutal criminal masterminds. As she slowly leaves behind her schoolgirl self, she realizes that she must learn the terrifying truth about herself. To overcome the cruelty she encounters, she must also embrace it.

Scott Bergstrom was an advertising executive in Manhattan for many years before moving to Denver to focus on his writing. He is an avid traveller and photographer who is fascinated by the darker, unloved corners of the world's great cities. The Cruelty is his first book.

[...] well-crafted first novel [...] It's a premise that demands a degree of suspended disbelief, but Bergstrom manages Gwen's transformation from high school student to assassin believably enough, and he doesn't avoid the toll Gwen's actions take on her. Not for the weak of heart, this is a grim, fast-paced tale that stands knee-deep in dead bodies. * Publishers Weekly * This is a coming of age story like no other. Imagine if Jason Bourne was female and sixteen. That just about sums up The Cruelty... Smart, dangerous, kick-ass (yes, really) and an absolute page-turner, The Cruelty, is sure to be one of the hits of 2017. Look out Katniss - here comes Gwendolyn and she's about to kick your butt! -- Jon Page * Couple of Pages * "It's certainly a page turner [...] this lurid, skilfully written book is certainly entertaining." * Armadillo * "[...] well-crafted first novel. [...] It's a premise that demands a degree of suspended disbelief, but Bergstrom manages Gwen's transformation from high school student to assassin believably enough, and he doesn't avoid the toll Gwen's actions take on her. Not for the weak of heart, this is a grim, fast-paced tale that stands knee-deep in dead bodies." * Publishers Weekly * "[T]his debut novel is relentlessly paced, full of global sets, slick action [...] with a grim, ass-kicking antihero."- * Booklist *