The Blaze

“A wounded veteran and a strong newspaperwoman combine with a well-constructed plot to spin a plausible and engaging tale…This one wins far more on characters and danger than on bloodshed. Keep books like this coming, Chad Dundas. ”— Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"[An] exceptional thriller...Dundas’ insightful look at a former soldier's attempts to reenter civilian life elevates this poignant, action-packed story. The plot soars with each believable twist and realistic characters worth rooting for. — Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Another brilliantly woven story about second chances from Montana native Dundas … Recommend this to readers looking for an inviting narrative with a very ‘now’ feel.”— Booklist (starred)

“Dundas knows how to keep things simmering, and his cracking good mystery kept this reviewer up at night. It just might keep you up at night, too.” — BookPage (starred)

“[The Blaze] is both a cleverly plotted mystery and a touching account of a wounded veteran trying to rebuild his life…With these two beautifully realized protagonists driving the action, Dundas delivers a fast-paced plot filled with unexpected twists. Their small town is vividly portrayed, and the writing is superb throughout, occasionally verging on poetry.”— Associated Press

“It delivers the goods.”— Washington Independent Review of Books

“There’s more than enough here to like that readers will enjoy this one and will certainly want to come back for whatever’s next.” — New York Journal of Books

“With firm, incisive writing, Dundas makes his Montana setting come alive. The Blaze is the best kind of thriller, full of suspense and twists until the very end, with complicated characters haunted by the past and struggling with the present." — Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Better Sister

Champion of the World

“A riveting novel about hardheaded men, tough women, and even tougher times in Prohibition America. It’s difficult to believe Chad Dundas’s CHAMPION OF THE WORLD is a debut novel—so hluid is its plot movement, so sure the narrative...slyly ambitious…one of the most wonderfully controlled displays of storytelling by a new author in recent memory. Besides the page-turning momentum and thrilling set pieces, Dundas’s novel has an almost sweet melancholy. So many of the characters are searching for redemption… When the betrayals, failures, and mishaps come, they’re surprising and at times brutal, as merciless in their own way as that greatest of culprits here, the slow slipping away of time.”—O Magazine

“Dundas puts together a tightly woven piece of storytelling punctuated by some intriguing close-ups of wrestling when it was taken seriously. . . . [The] last [twist is] a doozy with a demon ex machina even nastier than the mobsters. Centered on the sweet-tough relationship of Pepper and his card shark wife, Moira, and enriched by a wrestling history that contrasts sharply with today’s circus, the novel has the feel of noir but is rounder and richer than a Jim Thompson outing. Dundas suggests writers known for loosely historical works, such as Doctorow and Chabon, but he features a pared- down, punchy style that goes well with his characters' basic raw ambitions and emotions.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A brilliant novel about life—and sport—at the cusp of the modern age, Champion of the World follows a down-and-out couple as they struggle to survive on their wits alone. Reminiscent of the best of early Cormac McCarthy, but with compelling female characters.”—Philipp Meyer, New York Times-bestselling author of The Son and American Rust

“With crisp, muscular prose, this 470-page historical novel illuminates a time of rapid change in America.”—Poets & Writers

Champion of the World, a terrific debut novel from Chad Dundas, is about professional wrestling in the early 1920s, when the sport wasn’t unabashedly fake the way it is today. But you don’t have to be a wrestle-maniac to enjoy it. If you appreciate great storytelling and dynamic characters, this book is going to satisfy… [Dundas] writes exciting action sequences. But his real gift is in making 1920s America and the people who populate it come vibrantly alive. In his hands, Champion of the World is an extraordinary trip through time to a culture very different from our own — never does it feel like a dry history textbook.”— Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“At first glance, Champion of the World is a novel about wrestling in the 1920s. But what's that saying about the tip of the iceberg?”—Portland Oregonian

"You can count the truly great sports novels on two hands and have fingers to spare. Wrestling, the sport of kings, has never had one-until now. Chad Dundas has done the impossible. He has written a book about professional wrestling that appeals not only to fans of the grappling arts, but to sophisticated readers who wouldn't know a wristlock from a wrist watch." — Bleacher Report

“Champion of the World is a debut with the masterful breadth and insight of a veteran talent’s work. The confluence of a sport and entertainment, gambling and gangsterism is illuminated on every page, as Chad Dundas burrows into the tangled roots of American wrestling. Tragic and by turns hopeful, Champion of the World is a showcase bout full of reversals, grit, and spirit.” — Smith Henderson, author of Fourth of July Creek

“Here's one of the finest first novels in years, a gritty tale involving professional wrestling, bootlegging, and the byzantine strategies of cold-blooded conmen and desperate grifters. If the subject matter strikes you as too quirky, think again. My advice to anyone who loves brilliant storytelling is this: read Chad Dundas's Champion of the World.”—Jeff Guinn, New York Times-bestselling author of The Last Gunfight

“Smart and flinty, Chad Dundas’s archetypal debut is a sprawling, brawling yarn populated by gangsters and carnies, bootleggers, hucksters and early-day wrestlers—characters who, in their irresistibility, fairly drag you along by the throat through page after compelling page. A piercing and at times heart-rending examination of the universal quest to reach our own championship, be it the big pay-day, enduring love, or mere survival in a ruthless world.”—Kim Zupan, author of The Ploughmen