Darwin's Nightmare

Wilson spent his entire life under the radar. Few people knew who he was and even less knew how to find him. Only two people even knew what he really did. He worked jobs for one very bad man. Illegal jobs no one could ever know about. Wilson was invisible until the day he crossed the line and risked everything to save the last connection to humanity he had. One day changed everything. Wilson saved his friends and earned the hatred of a vengeful mob boss, a man who claimed he was Charles Darwin’s worst nightmare.

Wilson survived his transgression and went even deeper into the underworld of Hamilton becoming a ghost in the city – an unknown to almost everyone until he was paid back for his one good deed. It started with a simple job. Steal a bag from the airport and hand it off. No one said what was in the bag, and no one mentioned who the real owners were or what they would do to get it back. One bag sets into motion a violent chain of events from which no one will escape untouched. Wilson learns that no one forgets, no one gets away clean, and no good deed goes unpunished.

“Fans of Richard Stark and Andrew Vacchs will immediately recognize his cold-blooded pragmatism and brass-knuckled approach to problem solving...The action is straight, hard and fast and the characters are as sharply etched as this stuff gets...as clean and tight a debut as I’ve seen recently. The sure hand and utterly convincing tone displayed by the first time author, a school teacher, bodes well for not just him and Canadian crime writing, but for fans of hard-boiled fiction everywhere.”

by Kevin Burton Smith

Mystery Scene

“a sobering look at what happens when a tentative quest for morality comes up against the reality that everyone lives in the jungle – where life has no value.”

by Sarah Weinman

Quill & Quire

“The action is hard and raw and savage, and the characters are about as deliciously nasty as you’d expect. But what sets this book apart is Knowles’ considerable storytelling muscle...this is as clean and clenched a first novel as I’ve seen recently...Devotees of Andrew Vachss’ Burke and Richard Stark’s Parker and fans of hard-boiled fiction in general should take heed: there’s a new bad boy in town.”

January Magazine - Best Books of 2008: Crime Fiction

“A debut novel with an assured, strongly focused voice and hard-boiled writing that reminds you of Mickey Spillane. Darwin's Nightmare announces a new and serious mystery writer on the Canadian scene...The pace of the story kept me turning pages. The violence is raw, the energy of the writing is addictive, and the story reveals life as it unravels from the wrong side of the gun...Darwin's Nightmare is a debut novel not to be missed.”

by Don Graves

Hamilton Spectator

“Fans of Charlie Huston and Chuck Palahniuk will probably enjoy Darwin’s Nightmare.”

Sacramento Book Review

“Darwin's Nightmare is an angry charge into a bloody underworld free-for-all where a fighter's survival is earned by what he'll do after the bullet hits him. Mike Knowles is a strong new voice in crime fiction.”

Thomas Perry is an American mystery novelist, who received a 1983 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel. To date, Perry has published sixteen suspense novels.

"Authentic, sincere, and genuinely engrossing. Michael Knowles has a fresh, sharp voice, and that's just what crime fiction needs. I hope we see more very soon."

Victor Gischler, author of 4 hard-boiled crime novels. His debut novel GUN MONKEYS was nominated for the Edgar Award, and his novel SHOTGUN OPERA was an Anthony Award finalist.

"Relentless. Only the most ruthless survive. A fantastic new hard-boiled voice. Anti-hero Wilson is pitch-perfect."

John McFetridge, author of Dirty Sweet, Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, and Swap.

“The evolution of the gangster novel takes a step forward with 'Darwin's Nightmare.' Mike Knowles' hardboiled spin on Hamilton's underworld is written with a tireless and controlled intensity.”

Allan Guthrie, author of: Two-Way Split, Kiss Her Goodbye (nominated for Edgar, Anthony and Gumshoe awards), Hard Man (winner of the inaugural Spinetingler award for Best Novel), Kill Clock, and Savage Night.