The world’s only Gothic Western science fiction police procedural will shortly have new cover art, courtesy of the fantastic Elizabeth Leggett.
Days of Atonement has a long, sad history with cover art, starting with the atrocity on the original hardback, then graduating to my own poor attempts to put something together by merging various pieces of stock art. (In my defense, there is no stock art available that says “Gothic Western science fiction police procedural.”)
But now thankfully I’ve reached a stage where I can afford to commission my own art, and Elizabeth and I put our heads together and came up with this. It may not say everything, but it says enough to make a reader curious, and I find myself highly gratified.
Glad to see it get a new cover! I have a copy of the hardback and you’re right, that cover is pretty funky.
This book also contains what’s probably the line of yours I quote the most at people: “Populist religions are prone to schism.”
It’s been a really long time since I read this and I was confused most of the time because it was not at all what I was expecting… However, the conversation between the policemen and the head of security about the in-car gun safe has always stuck with me. I often think back to it when evaluating security arrangements.
Love the new cover. I’ve read a lot of your books more than once but this one is probably near the top of the number of rereads. There’s another great line from it that I like to share – ‘Assholes always advertise’. I just wish I could find the bumper sticker!
Nice cover! I read the paperback and I think it may have been the first book of yours that I had ever read. After I finished, I looked around for more, please, and proceeded to read and buy all the books over the years.
I am going to have to make a re-read of this one a priority, but so many books, so little time.
I’d be a little cautious about this cover; it’s a digital paintover of a publicity shot from the TV show ‘Longmire’:
https://longmire.fandom.com/wiki/Branch_Connally
Pretty sure the artist didn’t get permission to use this photo for your cover. I recognized it right away. I don’t want you to get in trouble for something someone else did.
That is a great book. It would also make a good movie.
John, rights to the photo were purchased from the studio, so that isn’t an issue.
Thanks for the eagle-eyed alert, though.
Robert, I agree with you that the book would make a great movie, and at one point it was on track to be one. But now, alas . . .
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