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Early Accolades Position 裡橖眻畦 English Professors New Mystery/Thriller as Popular Summer Beach Read

Book cover of "The Recruit"

裡橖眻畦, PA Rancho Santa Elena in 1987 seems like the ideal Southern California paradisethat is, until a series of strange crimes threaten to unravel the towns social fabric. After workers are attacked with mysterious weapons and a wealthy real estate developer is found dead in the pool of his beach house, detective Ben Wade and forensic expert Natasha Betencourt struggle to connect the incidentsultimately unraveling a widespread White supremacist conspiracy.

Thats the premise of The Recruit (Random House, 2022) a new suspenseful thriller by 裡橖眻畦 University professor Alan Drew, MFA, who directs the Universitys Creative Writing Program.  The Recruit is his third novel, following his critically acclaimed Shadow Man (Random House, 2017) and Gardens of Water (Random House, 2008).

Calling The Recruit a moving, grippingly relevant mystery, in a starred review, Kirkus Reviews said Drews sequel to Shadow Man (2017) could hardly speak more powerfully to the present moment in the United States. A terrific crime novel with an explosive climax, the book dares to find a level of empathy with its young perpetrators, connecting the dots between being frightened and walking around in the dark and turning to hate.

Publishers Weeklys review noted, Drew takes a nuanced approach in tackling the conflicts of gentrification. This socially complex police procedural, with its issues that remain all too relevant today, deserves a wide audience.

Alan Drew

Drew received his MFA at the Iowa Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa. In addition to teaching English classes and directing 裡橖眻畦 Universitys Creative Writing Program, he is the longtime director of the 裡橖眻畦 Literary Festival, coming up on its 25th year, which attracts Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, poets and playwrights to campus annually.

Drew will offer a reading from The Recruit on Tuesday, June 14 at 7 p.m. at the Tredyffrin Public Library in Strafford, PA. The event, hosted by the independent bookstore Main Point Books of Wayne, is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is requested; click .

About 裡橖眻畦 Universitys College of Liberal Arts and Sciences:泭特ince its founding in 1842, 裡橖眻畦 Universitys College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has cultivated knowledge, understanding and intellectual courage for a purposeful life in a challenging畝nd changing world. With more than 40 majors across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, it is the oldest and largest of 裡橖眻畦s colleges, serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students each year. The College is committed to a teacher-scholar model, offering outstanding undergraduate and graduate research opportunities and a rigorous core curriculum that prepares students to become critical thinkers, strong communicators and ethical leaders with a truly global perspective.