After the Lights Go Out

A PROPULSIVE AND GRITTY SPORTS DRAMA FOR FANS OF

KING RICHARD,

WARRIOR AND SA COSBY'S

RAZORBLADE TEARS'Thrums with authenticity… the sweat shines on every page'

The Times'Powerful, bruising and beautiful… Those who haven't discovered John Vercher yet are seriously missing out' Chris Whitaker'A riveting portrait of masculinity… so exquisite is the result, I would go so far as to say John Vercher could well be the next Great American Novelist' Kia Abdullah'Shrewd and explosive'

New York Times______FROM THE AUTHOR OF

THREE-FIFTHS, A

SUNDAY TIMES,

GUARDIAN AND

FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARIt's not a comeback. It's a fight for his life.Xavier «Scarecrow» Wallace is a biracial Black MMA fighter on the wrong side of thirty, who's been given a last-ditch chance to break into the big leagues. He is also losing his battle with pugilistic dementia – a struggle he is desperate to hide.In the nursing home of his father, a white man suffering from Alzheimer's, Xavier witnesses shocking episodes that expose ugly truths about his past and his family.And as the big fight draws near, a sparring session with a younger competitor goes horribly wrong, leaving Xavier faced with a dangerous dilemma: throw his match or suffer the deadly consequences.______FURTHER PRAISE FOR

AFTER THE LIGHTS GO OUT'Vercher writes with the intensity of championship rounds. It had me

hooked from start to finish' Kevin Powers, author of

The Yellow Birds'Exactly the type of book one needs about the fighting life…

Brilliant' Ryan Gattis, author of

All Involved'Think

Warrior by way of

Fat City… Xavier «Scarecrow» Wallace is a character I just can't shake' William Boyd, author of

Shoot the Moonlight Out'A

stunning, stone-cold knockout' P. J. Vernon, author of

Bath Haus'A

spellbinding tour de force… Written in deft and visceral prose' Lauren Wilkinson, author of

American Spy'John Vercher writes like a fighter, a dancer, an athlete…

After the Lights Go Outleft my heart black and blue' Wiley Cash, author of

A Land More Kind Than Home