Pacy, immersive and vivid, with strong characterisation and no punches pulled, this is an utterly riveting read * Guardian, Thrillers of the Month *
Gripping, meticulously-researched and smartly-plotted, I devoured this brilliant novel over the course of a weekend. -- Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train
The most compelling courtroom drama I have read this year * Sunday Telegraph, Novel of the Week *
A portrait of Nineties LA to sit alongside that of James Ellroy's depiction of it in the Forties * The Times, Thriller of the Month *
A crime novel and a thriller, but, like the best in the genre, it invites you to think as well as feel * Scotsman *
Gattis tells a muscular tale about injustice, systemic racism and a US city abandoned by Californian and national government, and infuses it with humanity and supersonic excitement * Metro, Best Crime Novels of the Year *
Powerfully illuminates every corner of the law-and-order universe . . . accessible and irresistible * Los Angeles Times *
The System is a tour de force . . . It is a page-turner, but one you will want to read slowly in order to savor every gorgeous sentence . . . Ryan Gattis is a magician. -- David Dow, author of Confessions of an Innocent Man
I relate so much to this book, it's painful . . . That's how real this novel is . . . Front to back, it's not just an incredible work, it's an experience. -- Gustavo Goose Alvarez, author of The Pawn
The System's panoramic approach-eschewing one main character for a whole set of people associated with a crime-sets it apart . . . A tale of redemption, an examination of loyalty and a love song for family bonds. -- Patrick Hoffman, author of Clean Hands
Through multiple narrators, [Ryan Gattis] tells a muscular, rousing tale of injustice, systemic racism and the desperation of those chunks of urban America abandoned by local and national government. -- Paul Connolly * Metro *
The System is an odyssey through the legal system . . . The dialogue isn't dialogue; it's what you'd actually hear - on the street, in a courtroom, on the prison yard. -- Joe Ide, author of the IQ series
Gripping, fascinating, moving, and so very, very real. The System is one of the best books I've read in years. -- Marcia Clark, author of Final Judgment and former Criminal Prosecutor
Ryan Gattis ingeniously casts deeply researched novels of social protest as page-turning crime fiction . . . This book blew my mind. -- Dan Slater, author of Wolf Boys: Two American Teenagers
The System is as real as it gets - often brutal, but a beautifully written reality of not only life on the street, but also getting caught up or working in the justice system. -- David Swinson, author of The Second Girl
