I'm Not Here to Hunt Rabbits - by Josh Kendall (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"An atmospheric, intricate thriller . . . What an achievement." --Tana French, bestselling author of The Keeper

Following a brutal rotation in Afghanistan and the untimely death of his former handler and lover, Helen Gray, security contractor Lachlan Smith is sent to Ethiopia to protect a wealthy criminal family. He arrives in Addis Ababa heartbroken and full of questions--about Helen's death, about the mind-altering training they endured together, but most of all about the shadowy organization that recruited them both.

As Smith navigates the increasingly frightening ambitions of the Sebadi family, he uncovers more secrets than answers--secrets that twist his relationship with Helen and challenge his understanding of his mission. Secrets that will change everything.

Josh Kendall's electrifying debut novel is a love story wrapped in a spy thriller, set against the dazzling backdrop of Ethiophia. Atmospheric and emotionally resonant, I'm Not Here to Hunt Rabbits is a twisting puzzle of a novel, exploring the price of love, the weight of grief, and the brutal calculus of loyalty.

Review Quotes

"A hypnotic fever dream of an international thriller, set in a world where no one is who they seem to be, where soldiers and bodyguards evolve into mercenaries and assassins, and businessmen into ruthless oligarchs, and where the pursuit of safety is the danger itself." --Chris Pavone, bestselling author of The Doorman

"I'm Not Here to Hunt Rabbits is a smart, propulsive spy novel with wonderful echoes of masters like John LeCarre and Graham Greene. Josh Kendall's novel stakes out a physical and emotional territory all of its own, going to places where other writers haven't been prepared to go. As readers we get delightfully caught between shifting lands and landscapes in crisp and sensuous prose." --Colum McCann, National Book Award-winning author of Let the Great World Spin

"A novel so fast and mysterious that I felt almost haunted while reading. Honestly, it's the Graham Greene novel I've always wanted and the John le Carré novel I never found. This is a serious gem of a first novel." --Willy Vlautin, author of The Left and the Lucky

"I began reading this last night and finished this morning. Yes, I'm Not Here to Hunt Rabbits is weird, intense as hell, creepy and unpredictable. But it's also an unforgettable exercise in risk and regret. It made me imagine that I was accompanying Rimbaud in Abyssinia running guns for King Menelek." --Barry Gifford, author of Wild at Heart, screenwriter for Lost Highway, and founder of the Black Lizard imprint

About the Author

Josh Kendall grew up in Tacoma, Washington, and currently lives with his family in New York City. A book editor for more than two decades, he most recently helped create the storied Mulholland Books imprint at Little, Brown & Co. His own work has appeared in Tin House and was granted a fellowship from the New York State Council for the Arts. He has additionally taught creative writing at the University of Iowa, The New School, and Brooklyn College.