The Three-Day Affair

Book excerpt: This twisting crime novel “does what great books should—makes you resent time spent away from it” (The Newark Star Ledger). An Esquire Best Book of the Year and a Miami Herald Best Crime Fiction Book of the Year Will, Jeffrey, and Nolan have been friends since their undergrad days at Princeton. Now, nine years after graduation, Will is a failed musician still reeling from the death of a bandmate. Jeffrey got lucky and then rich from the dot-com boom, and Nolan is a state senator with national aspirations. Through it all, their bond with each other has managed to survive—until one shocking event changes everything. One night on the road, they make a routine stop at a convenience store. Moments after entering the store, a manic Jeffrey emerges, dragging a young woman with him. He shoves her into Will’s car and shouts a single word: “Drive!” Shaken and confused, Will obeys. Suddenly these three men find themselves completely out of their element, holding a frightened young girl hostage without the slightest idea of what to do next. They’re already guilty of kidnapping and robbery; it’s only a matter of time before they find out what else they might be guilty of . . . “Will keep readers on the edge of their seats . . . As you read, you think you know which way the author is driving the narrative, only to have it swerve several times before the fascinating conclusion.” —Library Journal, starred review “A carefully calibrated study of how even the most highly evolved members of our species can become feral under pressure.” —The New York Times “Absolutely first-rate.” —John Lescroart