What reviewers say about Gardiner's Evan Delaney novels:
Evan Delaney Novels
“From beginning to end, China Lake is a book that no reader of thrillers will be able to put down. Great characters, dynamic plot, nail-biting action ... Meg Gardiner gives us everything. I highly recommend it.” Elizabeth George
“Religious fundamentalism, anti-Aids crusaders, nutty relatives, and a Waco-style shootout: they’re all here in the exciting mix that Gardiner expertly stirs up. Great stuff.”
Independent on Sunday“With a colorful cast of richly delineated characters, a protagonist with whom the readers will easily identify ... all big-hearted, quick-tongued and hair-trigger-tempered ... this novel provides a fast-paced ride through some of the more dubious nooks and crannies of the American dream and is an impressive salvo by a Surrey-based expatriate who hits the bookshelves running.” Maxim Jakubowski,
Guardian“China Lake makes a strong impression. The story grips and Ms Gardiner is a welcome addition to the ranks of American thriller writers.”
Sunday Telegraph“A great first novel Fast and hard-edged. Buy it, read it.”
Hull Daily Mail“A cracker, with memorable characters, memorable lines and a plot that races along to an explosive ending. A great summer read.” Huddersfield Daily Examiner
“A rattling good read, with an unexpected twist at the end.”
Sunday Telegraph“It seems that the most enjoyable thrillers bring together the past and the present in unexpected yet suspenseful ways. So it is with Mission Canyon. Echoes of a horrible auto accident in the past, involving Delaney’s fiancé, keep coinciding with a harrowing (and all-too-timely) story of corporate greed and evil-doing in quirky Southern California. It’s up to Delaney to deal with this risky business and sort out the good from the bad, which she does with characteristic pluck and wit. The personal issues Gardiner raises about the physical and emotional consequences of severe injury are among the best parts of the story.” Jeffrey Deaver
“An explosive new thriller by the author of China Lake which received excellent reviews. It is a strikingly good story.” Publishing News, Tim Merderson’s special section
“She’s sassy, streetwise and not afraid of getting in deep ... but that’s because her latest mission is close to her heart. Loud-mouthed legal journalist Evan Delaney leads a life like no other journo I know ... getting herself into the kinds of scrapes that could easily end up with her funeral ... but hey, that’s what fiction is all about. And Mission Canyon is certainly fiction at its finest. There are so many nail-biting moments and hand-wringing twists that Mission Canyon makes exhausting reading. But that’s a compliment. So here’s looking forward to the next Evan Delaney installment ... if my heart can stand it!” Alex Gordon,
Peterborough Evening Telegraph“A kick-ass heroine who would stop at nothing to protect those close to her wry humour oft-times peppered with sarcastic wit, and a quickening pace to the climax. I couldn’t put the book down.” Jacina Ho, The Peak, Singapore
“Meg Gardiner dishes out the gripping plot in tense helpings. Short punchy chapters keep the pace flowing fast and you’ll find it impossible to reach a resting point, even just to make a recharging cuppa. Definitely a book for the holiday suitcase.”
Glasgow Evening Times“Meg Gardiner has a powerful style: fast-paced, immediate and imaginative. Her depictions of the criminal elements of the Hollywood fringe and the local drugs culture is a tightly observed slice of realism. Evan is a great tough but tender thriller heroine we are with her all the way as her life is eroded and replaced with a hellish nightmare. This is a relentless, claustrophobic examination of mistaken identity and the terror of being accused of crime for which you are not responsible.” Kathryn White, Sherlock
“Meg Gardiner has rekindled my interest in thrillers. Her latest Evan Delaney novel is fast paced, witty and brutal. I’ve got one more word for this novel: movie.”
The Independent, South Africa
“Well into X-Files territory, this is a tense and exciting thriller where almost anything seems possible. A conspiracy theorist’s must-have.” Mark Timlin,
Independent on Sunday“Meg Gardiner goes from strength to strength.” Paul Blezard, OneWord Radio“Marvelous ... if you like AWOL assassins kicking ass then this is for you ... It just gets flying from the first page when the first victim comes a cropper ... it is so gripping that I read the last 150 pages into the early hours of the morning!” Five stars (highest rating) Chris Simmons, CrimeSquad.com
“Engaging characters, a richly coated atmosphere and a neat and nasty plot make this easily one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year. I could barely wait to get to the next page ... If you start this book, be prepared to be unable to put it down. Meg Gardiner has written a cracker.” Caroline Carver
“This book rips. It makes “Silence of the Lambs” read like Mary had a little one ... it never lets up.” Adrienne Dines
“Gardiner is brilliant at making the over-the-to seem utterly convincing. Her heroine, Evan Delaney, is a paragon for our times: tough, funny, clever, brave, tireless, and compassionate ... The pace and inventiveness never flag, and the climax ... is both nail-biting and moving. But the brilliant writing is what puts this thriller way ahead of the competition. Reading the fifth Evan Delaney book first is not a problem, but you’ll probably want to go back and read the others. Intelligent escapism at its best.” Joanna Hines,
The Guardian“The feisty Evan Delaney makes a welcome return in Kill Chain. As ever, the plot is pacy and tight.”
Sunday Express“A rattling good read.”
News of the World“If you like Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich you ought to have discovered Gardiner by now. She hard boils her American crime with the best of them. Brilliant.”
Peterborough Evening Telegraph“The action is high octane from the first page ... Meg Gardiner is a class act at the top of her game. Once you pick it up, it’s a very hard book to put down.”
My Weekly“Fast and furious.”
Literary Review“Gardiner’s prose is cool.”
The Telegraph