“Smart, original, surprising and just about as cool as a novel can get… Taylor can flat-out write."—The Washington Post

A young New Zealand woman mysteriously disappears. The lives of those she has left behind intersect and form a captivating latticework of odd coincidences and surprising twists of fate. This is contemporary urban noir at its stylish and intelligent best.

Chad Taylor
Chad Taylor was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and is the author of five novels (Pack of Lies, Heaven, Shirker, Electric and now Departure Lounge) and his short stories have been widely and internationally anthologized. He was named by Listener as one of New Zealand’s 10 best novelists and The Guardian in England likened him to Paul Auster. He currently teaches creative writing at Auckland University.

• May 9 2006
  Washington Post: "Taylor can flat-out write. His style owes a lot to Raymond Chandler and lesser apostles of noir, but at the same time it's very much his own. [...] "cool" certainly is the word for him, but there's a good deal of heat beneath."
  
• Apr 27 2006
  Chicago Tribune: "There's so much pleasure and bafflement to be derived from this thriller by novelist Chad Taylor that it seems like an afterthought to point out that it's also a fascinating portrait of life in modern-day New Zealand."
  
• Mar 15 2006
  Booklist: "In eloquently precise prose, Taylor evokes the life of small-time thief Mark Chamberlain. The night he invades the home of the parents of Caroline May is the night his carefully regimented schedule begins to unravel.
  
• Feb 21 2006
  Publishers Weekly: "Taylor, who compares favorably with Russell Banks and Paul Auster, should appeal to readers who appreciate sophisticated plots and fully human characters..."