Our Debut Author Spotlite features debut books of all genres by authors living in Canada. Our goal is to spotlight their stories and help Canadian and Indigenous authors connect with readers from around the world.
Born in Durban, South Africa in 1983, David Albertyn immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1993. A graduate of Queen’s University and the Humber School for Writers, he has been writing stories since the age of six. A tennis coach who has competed extensively in both tennis and track and field, David’s goal is to write visceral novels that are both thrilling and meaningful. Undercard was first released in Canada in February of 2019, and by the start of the following year it was a finalist for the 2020 Forest of Reading Evergreen Award and had made 49th Shelf’s Top Fiction List of 2019. In June of 2020 it was released in the United States, and immediately made CrimeReads’ list of “8 Debut Novels You Should Read This June”.
Visit the author’s website to learn more.
From the publisher: When Tyron Shaw returns to his hometown of Las Vegas after eleven years in the Marines, he’s surprised to discover that two of his best friends from childhood are all anyone is talking about: Antoine Deco, three years out of prison, hasn’t lost a boxing match since his release, and tonight is fighting in the undercard to the fight of the decade; and Keenan Quinn, a police officer who killed an unarmed teenager and escaped punishment from the courts, is the subject of a protest tomorrow morning.
Tyron has trouble reconciling either story with his memory of these men, and the situation escalates when he runs into the love of his life, Naomi Wilks, a retired WNBA player, basketball coach, and estranged wife of Keenan. As Tyron reconnects with his old community, he will learn over the next twenty-four hours that much has changed since he left Las Vegas . . . and there is much more that he never understood.
The Reef, an aquarium-themed casino and the hottest resort on the Strip, is the backdrop for this bullet-paced narrative, where loyalty to one’s friends, one’s family, and one’s community are ever at odds, and every choice has deadly repercussions.
Raves
K.J. Howe, author
“Albertyn’s unforgettable voice transports readers to the underbelly of the Las Vegas boxing world, the dramatic ending a sucker punch that will leave you breathless. In Undercard, the emotional resonance, well-drawn characters, and seamless prose will keep you reading until well after the final bell. Best debut of the year.”
Globe and Mail
“When I say that a mystery about boxing and boxers kept me reading intently, you know it has to be better than good. Undercard, a debut novel by Toronto author David Albertyn, is that book… Albertyn is a writer to watch.”
Grace O’Connell, author
“Gritty, dark, and cinematic, Undercard is as tough as the Nevada desert of its setting. As a diverse cast of characters struggle to find meaning in fractured lives and a fractured world, Albertyn’s taut writing makes the pages fly by. The climax descends like a prizefighter’s knockout punch.”
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