# A Lesson in Violence by Jordan Harper (Paperback)

**\* WINNER OF THE BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD AT THE EDGARS 2018 \* A gritty, propulsive debut about a father, a daughter, and the hardest lessons in life . . .**  
  
'Striking...visceral, violent and utterly compelling, it nevertheless shines with humanity' **_Daily Mail_**  
'Burns bright and fast' **Peter Swanson, author of _Sunday Times_ bestseller _Her Every Fear_**  
  
**_'If nowhere was safe for her, then the only place he could let her be was with him'_**  
  
**Meet Polly:** eleven years old and smart beyond her years. But she's a loner, always on the outside, until she is unexpectedly reunited with her father.  
**Meet Nate:** fresh out of jail and driving a stolen car, Nate takes Polly from the safety of her quiet existence into a world of robbery, violence and the constant threat of death.  
  
And he does it to save her life.  
  
**_A Lesson in Violence_ is a gripping and emotionally wrenching novel that upends even our most long-held expectations about heroes, villains and victims. Nate takes Polly to save her life, but in the end it may very well be Polly who saves him.**  
  
'This fast-paced and gritty page turner explores the ways in which love can both brutalize and redeem us' **Amy Engel, author of _The Roanoke Girls_**  
'Urgent and beautiful' **Lauren Beukes, author of _The Shining Girls_**  
'One of the best debuts I've ever read' **Simon Toyne, author of _Sunday Times_ bestseller _Solomon Creed_**  
'The language is searing, the action relentless, the beauty wrenched from ugliness truly astounding' **Robin Wasserman, author of _Girls on Fire_**  
'An extremely impressive debut' **Peter Swanson, author of _Sunday Times_ bestseller _The Kind Worth Killing_**  
'Darkly irresistible...in Polly McClusky, the eleven-year-old girl at the heart of his , Jordan Harper gives us a hero for our times' **Megan Abbott, author of _The Turnout_**

## Details

- **Price:** 8.99 GBP
- **Vendor:** Simon & Schuster, Limited
- **Tags:** All, thrillers

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 8.99 GBP | In stock |

## Images

- A Lesson in Violence by Jordan Harper book cover

---

> Source: [Somiibooks](https://somiibooks.com/products/a-lesson-in-violence-jordan-harper-9781471158971)
> Updated: 2026-09-12