The White Van

Shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger At a dive bar in San Francisco's edgy Tenderloin district, the dishevelled Emily Rosario is drinking whiskey and looking for an escape. When she is approached by a mysterious and wealthy Russian, she thinks she has found an exit from her drifter lifestyle and drug-addict boyfriend. A week later she finds herself drugged, disoriented and wanted for robbery. On the other side of town, cop Leo Elias is broke, alcoholic and desperate. When he hears about an unsolved bank robbery, the stolen money proves too strong a temptation. Elias takes the case into his own hands, hoping to find the criminal and the money before anyone else does. With sharply drawn characters and twists that surprise until the end, The White Van introduces a strong new talent.

Patrick Hoffman is a writer and private investigator based in New York. He recently moved from San Francisco where he worked as an investigator, with the last five years spent at the San Francisco Public Defender's Office. This is his debut novel.