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samwiebe.com - the website of award-winning writer Sam Wiebe


NOMINATED FOR THE CITY OF VANCOUVER BOOK AWARD
WINNER, BEST PI NOVEL and BEST NEW PI, Sons of Spade


“A gripping, wrenching, brilliant piece of fiction, quite possibly the definitive Vancouver crime novel. If Last of the Independents announced Sam Wiebe’s arrival, Invisible Dead places him in the ranks of the best young mystery writers working today — on either side of the border. This book is outstanding.”
Owen Laukkanen, bestselling author of The Professionals
 

“Invisible Dead does all the things that only the PI novel can do, pushing the limits of morals to the breaking point in the pursuit of truth. Dave Wakeland is a great guide into the dark soul of Vancouver, never stopping and never looking away. This is the PI done right.”
John McFetridge, author of Dirty Sweet and Everyone Knows This is Nowhere
 

“A timely, gripping story that rages with frustration and anger at what might have been and what might yet be; a book that does for the missing women of the Downtown Eastside what Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath did for migrant workers. Complex, brilliantly crafted, it has an underlying sadness that permeates every gritty, lyrical word.”
Peggy Blair, author of The Beggar's Opera



“Witty, smart, detailed, and highly entertaining.
Wiebe has a gift for place and character.”
Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author

 

Dave Wakeland isn't the usual PI. A 29-year-old ex-cop, he makes a habit of bad ideas. Chelsea Loam falls squarely into that category. Chelsea disappeared eleven years ago, leaving a trail leading towards career criminals and powerful men. Taking her case quickly starts to look like a good way to get killed.

Whatever ghosts drive Wakeland, they drive him inexorably, addictively toward danger and the allure of an unsolvable mystery. In this fresh and fast-paced noir thriller, echoing the darkest troubles of our age, a witty and badly bruised new face takes his place in the ranks of the very finest characters in crime fiction.


"Sharp, Terrific, Disturbingly Grim" 
Brett Grubisic, 
The Vancouver Sun 

"[The PI novel's] new generation flagship author."

Dead End Follies - Benoit Lelievre

 

"Accomplishes what Richard Price's novels and David Simon's television shows do."Naben Ruthnum, Hazlitt
 

"Haven't yet heard of Sam Wiebe? You will soon."
 Margaret Cannon, 
Globe and Mail

 

"A story as appealing as it is mysterious." Toronto Star

"Wiebe illustrates the law of the jungle here, and he does it with great narrative skill and some very cool dialogue." Booklist

"Invisible Dead emphasizes the strength and resilience of the human spirit against seemingly insurmountable odds." 
Maansi Pandya, BC Book Look

"As Los Angeles is to Rockford, Vancouver is just as alive and important for Wakeland. With Invisible Dead, Sam Wiebe delves into our collective fictional past and creates a character with wondrous possibilities." David Nemeth