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The Wrong Man
"A short fast trip down the road to hell with prose as hard as a hammer. If your reading diet requires something tough and bloody, here it is. Grab it."
—Bill Crider, Award-winning author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series
"I read as a writer and believe me, an entire class could be profitably taught using just this novel. The fictive dream is established immediately and there’s no departure point where the reader can leave. Matthew Louis has crafted one of the best, most interesting, best-paced and plotted novels I’ve read in a long, long time, and I just hope he keeps cranking ‘em out as fast as he can."
—Les Edgerton, author of The Rapist, The Bitch and the forthcoming, The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping
"A first-rate, fly-through-the-pages freakshow that left me longing for a bit longer with [Matthew Louis's] hardboiled heroes."
—Tony Black, author of His Father's Son and The Last Tiger
A novel of unforgettable characters, surprising twists and satisfying payoff, The Wrong Man will stay with you long after you've read the final sentence.
Sam Schuler is starting a new family, trying to begin a respectable life, and trying to extricate himself from the seedy people he once knew.
But when his former best friend involves him in a petty drug theft, a local street gang is stirred to action and Sam finds himself the target of harassment from the gang's leader.
When the situation escalates from threats to violence to the worst transgression imaginable, Sam's reality is warped beyond recognition. Rules of conduct are forgotten and laws lose meaning as the young man attempts to salvage his sanity, his male pride and his family-to-be.
—Bill Crider, Award-winning author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series
"I read as a writer and believe me, an entire class could be profitably taught using just this novel. The fictive dream is established immediately and there’s no departure point where the reader can leave. Matthew Louis has crafted one of the best, most interesting, best-paced and plotted novels I’ve read in a long, long time, and I just hope he keeps cranking ‘em out as fast as he can."
—Les Edgerton, author of The Rapist, The Bitch and the forthcoming, The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping
"A first-rate, fly-through-the-pages freakshow that left me longing for a bit longer with [Matthew Louis's] hardboiled heroes."
—Tony Black, author of His Father's Son and The Last Tiger
A novel of unforgettable characters, surprising twists and satisfying payoff, The Wrong Man will stay with you long after you've read the final sentence.
Sam Schuler is starting a new family, trying to begin a respectable life, and trying to extricate himself from the seedy people he once knew.
But when his former best friend involves him in a petty drug theft, a local street gang is stirred to action and Sam finds himself the target of harassment from the gang's leader.
When the situation escalates from threats to violence to the worst transgression imaginable, Sam's reality is warped beyond recognition. Rules of conduct are forgotten and laws lose meaning as the young man attempts to salvage his sanity, his male pride and his family-to-be.
167 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Louis
13 books14 followersAuthor of The Wrong Man and Roots Down to Hell (2023).
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 17, 2020
The Wrong Man by Matthew Louis is a crime fiction novel detailing what happens when a decent man gets drawn into terrible incidents through no fault of his own and is expected to commits acts against his nature just to survive.
Sam Schuler is a young man working in a convenient liquor store while trying to save enough money to start his life with his pregnant girlfriend.
After he is dragged to a house party by a childhood, perpetually down on his luck friend, he is pulled into a nightmare of violence because of actions by his friend. Unbeknown to Schuler, while at the house party, his friend has stolen illicit drugs belonging to gang leader Owen Ferguson.
Ferguson is well known to Schuler and one to tread lightly around due to his willingness to use violence.
Schuler soon finds himself being targeted by Ferguson and his violent gang in a feud that soon ends up being more about respect and reputation than that of the cost of the drugs.
The Wrong Man is a morality tale in the vein of the writing of George Pelecanos and crime writers telling stories where acts of violence leave marks - both physically and mentally.
Recommended to readers of crime novels that prefer their violence to have meaning rather than be a garnish.
Sam Schuler is a young man working in a convenient liquor store while trying to save enough money to start his life with his pregnant girlfriend.
After he is dragged to a house party by a childhood, perpetually down on his luck friend, he is pulled into a nightmare of violence because of actions by his friend. Unbeknown to Schuler, while at the house party, his friend has stolen illicit drugs belonging to gang leader Owen Ferguson.
Ferguson is well known to Schuler and one to tread lightly around due to his willingness to use violence.
Schuler soon finds himself being targeted by Ferguson and his violent gang in a feud that soon ends up being more about respect and reputation than that of the cost of the drugs.
The Wrong Man is a morality tale in the vein of the writing of George Pelecanos and crime writers telling stories where acts of violence leave marks - both physically and mentally.
Recommended to readers of crime novels that prefer their violence to have meaning rather than be a garnish.
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February 21, 20253.5
July 21, 2014
After being published originally under a pen name, this book is being re-released under the author’s given name, Matthew Louis and it is sure to win him a lot of fans. The story starts off well and picks up steam very quickly.
Sam gets in over his head when his buddy steals some drugs during a party. Sam has his buddy throw the drugs away and thinks that the issue is behind them, but nothing could be further from the truth. The drugs belonged to Owen and he wants his money…or else. The trouble is that Sam doesn’t have the money and has no way of getting that much money. Sam’s friend gets his a** kicked for his part of the robbery and then he skips town, leaving Sam, who has a fiancé and a life he can’t just skip out on, to handle the consequences.
The real trouble begins when Sam’s fiancé is the one who pays the price for their actions. Sam is now officially in over his head, and out of his mind. A bar fight ensues, but there is no real retribution for Sam. He begins to realize that he is in way over his head and reaches out to his cousin Tommy, who lives in the same world as Owen and knows how retribution can be found. Tommy makes it very clear that a simple “stand up for yourself” isn’t going to get the job done and his advice to Sam is “…Say you give him (Owen) a beating…you think you’re gonna be safe the next day? The next week? You might as well…shoot him in the face if you’re gonna do anything at all.” As Tommy’s “help” drags Sam deeper and deeper into a world that he isn’t equipped to be a part of, Sam begins to realize that there may be no way out of the trouble he has stumbled into.
The book is a quick read, but boy does it entertain you. I originally picked up the book because of a Tony Black blurb, but it seems some bigger noir names have read the book and liked it enough to put their names behind it. Big name authors backing him… movie rights sold…it looks like Louis could be fast tracked to stardom. I am looking forward to reading his next offering. It seems as if this book may be just the beginning for Louis and you would be wise to grab this book and get ready for a ride that will have you waiting in line for his next books.
Sam gets in over his head when his buddy steals some drugs during a party. Sam has his buddy throw the drugs away and thinks that the issue is behind them, but nothing could be further from the truth. The drugs belonged to Owen and he wants his money…or else. The trouble is that Sam doesn’t have the money and has no way of getting that much money. Sam’s friend gets his a** kicked for his part of the robbery and then he skips town, leaving Sam, who has a fiancé and a life he can’t just skip out on, to handle the consequences.
The real trouble begins when Sam’s fiancé is the one who pays the price for their actions. Sam is now officially in over his head, and out of his mind. A bar fight ensues, but there is no real retribution for Sam. He begins to realize that he is in way over his head and reaches out to his cousin Tommy, who lives in the same world as Owen and knows how retribution can be found. Tommy makes it very clear that a simple “stand up for yourself” isn’t going to get the job done and his advice to Sam is “…Say you give him (Owen) a beating…you think you’re gonna be safe the next day? The next week? You might as well…shoot him in the face if you’re gonna do anything at all.” As Tommy’s “help” drags Sam deeper and deeper into a world that he isn’t equipped to be a part of, Sam begins to realize that there may be no way out of the trouble he has stumbled into.
The book is a quick read, but boy does it entertain you. I originally picked up the book because of a Tony Black blurb, but it seems some bigger noir names have read the book and liked it enough to put their names behind it. Big name authors backing him… movie rights sold…it looks like Louis could be fast tracked to stardom. I am looking forward to reading his next offering. It seems as if this book may be just the beginning for Louis and you would be wise to grab this book and get ready for a ride that will have you waiting in line for his next books.
August 13, 2014
This is a review for the Audible edition:
What did you love best about The Wrong Man?
The story is a thriller drawn out through a week in Sam's life. And while it seems at first there are key moments when he could have gone down one path to avoid problems or set things right, he makes one bad decision after the next. And the kicker is that you find yourself thinking you'd likely make the same dumb moves, too. I suppose that is how some of the best noir works, isn't it?
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Wrong Man?
The most memorable scenes for me happen late in the book, and I'm not about to spoil what is a great piece about reluctant revenge. Early on, however, there is a scene where Sam is driving an old friend home from a party only to find out the little sleazeball stole a big bag of weed from the host. If that's not bad enough, the cops roll up on 'em and set off a series of events that send Sam's life plummeting right into the abyss. It's a great scene and sets the stakes in expert fashion.
What about Robert Neil DeVoe’s performance did you like?
Whether playing the exasperated and desperate Sam, his gruff and grizzled cousin Tommy, his stoner friend that dragged him into the mess, or the gang of thugs that terrorize Sam in the run of a week, Robert did one heckuva job keeping the pace moving along and offering unique and believable voices for each character. There were a couple moments where I had to remind myself that this was one guy and not an ensemble cast. He's that good and a narrator I'll have to watch out for in the future. An exemplary talent, much like Matthew Louis in the writing department.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
If I could have I would have. There was never a dull moment and I could have been quite happy spending four hours or so of doing nothing but getting swept up in the story.
Any additional comments?
The book feels violent, but there's actually very little of the violence depicted on the page. When it does happen though, watch out.
What did you love best about The Wrong Man?
The story is a thriller drawn out through a week in Sam's life. And while it seems at first there are key moments when he could have gone down one path to avoid problems or set things right, he makes one bad decision after the next. And the kicker is that you find yourself thinking you'd likely make the same dumb moves, too. I suppose that is how some of the best noir works, isn't it?
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Wrong Man?
The most memorable scenes for me happen late in the book, and I'm not about to spoil what is a great piece about reluctant revenge. Early on, however, there is a scene where Sam is driving an old friend home from a party only to find out the little sleazeball stole a big bag of weed from the host. If that's not bad enough, the cops roll up on 'em and set off a series of events that send Sam's life plummeting right into the abyss. It's a great scene and sets the stakes in expert fashion.
What about Robert Neil DeVoe’s performance did you like?
Whether playing the exasperated and desperate Sam, his gruff and grizzled cousin Tommy, his stoner friend that dragged him into the mess, or the gang of thugs that terrorize Sam in the run of a week, Robert did one heckuva job keeping the pace moving along and offering unique and believable voices for each character. There were a couple moments where I had to remind myself that this was one guy and not an ensemble cast. He's that good and a narrator I'll have to watch out for in the future. An exemplary talent, much like Matthew Louis in the writing department.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
If I could have I would have. There was never a dull moment and I could have been quite happy spending four hours or so of doing nothing but getting swept up in the story.
Any additional comments?
The book feels violent, but there's actually very little of the violence depicted on the page. When it does happen though, watch out.
August 23, 2014
I really liked the main character, the plot and the author's writing style. While reading this story I was able to see in my imagination a mental movie about Sam and what happened to him. In this story Sam after his friend involves him into the drug theft becomes a target and later a victim of the dangerous gang's leader. While reading this book I was always curious about what will happen next and can certainly recommend it.
May 24, 2024
Title: The Wrong Man
Author: Matthew Louis
Sam Schuler has been reared in a festering, crime ridden, neighborhood, within a city primed to birth gangs, drugs, hopelessness, and despair. He had managed to keep clean, so far, but every part of his life touches the general surrounding lawlessness.
Sam had been struggling to free himself and his girlfriend from the trap of circumstances when his best friend, a drug addict and low level criminal, asks for a ride to a party after Sam gets off work simply to run an errand. While at the party, his friend steals drugs, asks to leave the party, without telling what he’s done. When the police approach on a routine traffic stop, Sam makes his friend throw the drugs out the window. Leaving the party so soon after the theft makes the two of them appear the obvious thieves. They’re now marked and unable to return the drugs nor pay their worth. Sam, innocent, finds himself in a rapidly escalating situation, over misunderstandings, with extremely dangerous people who have no interest in hearing his explanations.
__________
This is a quick, Neo-Noir read that didn’t putter around with side story or over written dialogue. The narrative may have come off just a tad often with convenient coincidences, but it was necessary for the style and pacing of the story.
There are reviewers who’ve complained of Sam making dumb decisions, but if the readers will just keep in mind he is really just one of the denizens of this terrible world and that he’s been trying to stand outside of it his entire life, he’s doing better than most who’ve never been near that life could fathom.
I prefer Classic Noir, mainly because modern stories seem too real and I’m afraid I’ll slip into one at the gas station, but I did really like ‘The Wrong Man’. It was easy to follow, so I didn’t feel like I was being lead down the garden path, which is what I want in fast paced crime drama.
Author: Matthew Louis
Sam Schuler has been reared in a festering, crime ridden, neighborhood, within a city primed to birth gangs, drugs, hopelessness, and despair. He had managed to keep clean, so far, but every part of his life touches the general surrounding lawlessness.
Sam had been struggling to free himself and his girlfriend from the trap of circumstances when his best friend, a drug addict and low level criminal, asks for a ride to a party after Sam gets off work simply to run an errand. While at the party, his friend steals drugs, asks to leave the party, without telling what he’s done. When the police approach on a routine traffic stop, Sam makes his friend throw the drugs out the window. Leaving the party so soon after the theft makes the two of them appear the obvious thieves. They’re now marked and unable to return the drugs nor pay their worth. Sam, innocent, finds himself in a rapidly escalating situation, over misunderstandings, with extremely dangerous people who have no interest in hearing his explanations.
__________
This is a quick, Neo-Noir read that didn’t putter around with side story or over written dialogue. The narrative may have come off just a tad often with convenient coincidences, but it was necessary for the style and pacing of the story.
There are reviewers who’ve complained of Sam making dumb decisions, but if the readers will just keep in mind he is really just one of the denizens of this terrible world and that he’s been trying to stand outside of it his entire life, he’s doing better than most who’ve never been near that life could fathom.
I prefer Classic Noir, mainly because modern stories seem too real and I’m afraid I’ll slip into one at the gas station, but I did really like ‘The Wrong Man’. It was easy to follow, so I didn’t feel like I was being lead down the garden path, which is what I want in fast paced crime drama.
December 30, 2025
This mystery takes place in a small town in southern California named Blackmer. In fact, it takes place in the rundown, seedier part of town where people are either unemployed or work in dead end jobs. Small time crime runs rampant here in Blackmer. On the poor side of town, it is fair to say most everybody knows who everyone else is. While it is a mixed racial community, most of the population is of Mexican and Latino decent. There are plenty of gangbangers and gangbanger wannabes in this town. The dialogue fits the low life characters that populate this mystery. The main character is Sam Schuler a young white man, with a pregnant wife. He works evenings at the local liquor store and attends junior college during the day. After attending a small concert with his high school friend, Rich Channing, at a local resident’s home, a stash of pot is discovered to be missing, and Sam and Rich are the primary suspects in this possible theft. The plot develops from this suspected theft, and a gangland style of justice and revenge ensues from there. Actual police involvement in any of the subsequent crimes is virtually nonexistent. Perhaps the city powers don’t really care what goes on in that part of town. Once the gangland violence has ended, all of the previous plot twists will have you wondering if the book’s title was correct all along.
April 5, 2023
A young man works at a liquor store and goes to a party with his friend. His friend steals a block of drugs and the bad guys go after the two party goers. It goes from bad to worse and ends up with dead people.
February 21, 2024
Bad friends and bad luck lead an innocent and oblivious guy into a world of violence.
I liked this but I felt its length hurt it a bit. It's too short to really flesh out any of the characters and yet goes on for too long after the main plot is finished.
I liked this but I felt its length hurt it a bit. It's too short to really flesh out any of the characters and yet goes on for too long after the main plot is finished.
March 8, 2023
Good short novel. I love vigilante justice stories. Pretty well written and certainly keeps the pages turning. Gritty enough.
January 8, 2025
I thought that his was an okay short read. Fair paced, engaging, raw.
August 2, 2014
"The Wrong Man" is by Matthew Lewis Narrated by Robert Neil DeVoe published by Out of the Gutter and is available at Audible.com
This is a modern throw back to books like Lawrence Blocks "Borderline". It is a gripping tale of how one bad decision can take you down a road of destruction.
Sam Schuler is trying to start a new life, one that is wholly respectable. He is in Junior College and working at a liquor store. When his oldest friend asks him to drive him to a party. It's his oldest friend he has to say yes. As they drive away from the party his friend pulls out a brick of marjuina that he stole from the party house. This one act by his friend drags him back into the gutter.
Sam has the local gang leader on his back for the stolen drugs because his low life friend once again has no money and no prospects. One situation after another happen to Sam, things out of his control. When the gang starts going after his family Sam has to confront the demons haunting him.
This is a quick audiobook that is narrated well by Robert Neil DeVoe. It pulls you in and keeps your attention to the very end.
This audiobook was gifted to me for an honest review.
Read this and other Audiobook Reviews at www.PerryMartinBookReviews.wordpress.com and follow me @PerryBookReview on twitter also read other reviews Monthly at AudiobookMonthly.com
This is a modern throw back to books like Lawrence Blocks "Borderline". It is a gripping tale of how one bad decision can take you down a road of destruction.
Sam Schuler is trying to start a new life, one that is wholly respectable. He is in Junior College and working at a liquor store. When his oldest friend asks him to drive him to a party. It's his oldest friend he has to say yes. As they drive away from the party his friend pulls out a brick of marjuina that he stole from the party house. This one act by his friend drags him back into the gutter.
Sam has the local gang leader on his back for the stolen drugs because his low life friend once again has no money and no prospects. One situation after another happen to Sam, things out of his control. When the gang starts going after his family Sam has to confront the demons haunting him.
This is a quick audiobook that is narrated well by Robert Neil DeVoe. It pulls you in and keeps your attention to the very end.
This audiobook was gifted to me for an honest review.
Read this and other Audiobook Reviews at www.PerryMartinBookReviews.wordpress.com and follow me @PerryBookReview on twitter also read other reviews Monthly at AudiobookMonthly.com
May 6, 2014
The Wrong Man is a sizzling noir thriller. It takes off like a bullet and doesn’t stop till it hits its target. Poor Sam is pulling himself out of a bad life. Going to school. Moved in with a pretty and virtuous girl friend. He gives a friend a ride to a party, just as a favor, and the friend pulls him into a maelstrom of trouble. It starts with drugs and accelerates from there, and then accelerates some more. Sam finds himself committing acts he didn’t know he was capable of, all in hopes of holding his relationship and future fatherhood together. He drags in his grandparents and other friends, and it all just gets worse. Or does it? You decide. One thing though, I guarantee you won’t stop reading till you find out what happens next.
Why only three stars after all the compliments? A shallowness of the characters. Sam's girl friend is raped and recovers emotionally and physically almost immediately. Sam himself seems a tool of circumstances and we never get much below the surface. Same with some of the bad guys who are bad because they're bad because they're bad because they're bad. Action's first rate, though.
Why only three stars after all the compliments? A shallowness of the characters. Sam's girl friend is raped and recovers emotionally and physically almost immediately. Sam himself seems a tool of circumstances and we never get much below the surface. Same with some of the bad guys who are bad because they're bad because they're bad because they're bad. Action's first rate, though.
September 8, 2014
This is the kind of book i really enjoy. Nice and quick, no crappy filler to just fill pages. Approximately 170 pages Matthew Louis takes you on a bloody violent ride and i enjoyed ever friggin word of it. Fast paced noir thriller that feels right, some books just come across as something you might read about in the morning's paper, this one of those. Great title, great characters and a story line that just flat out delivers exactly what i wanted. wish i could read a book like this every day. Authors take note, this is what sells books!! Cant wait to read more from Matthew Louis, an author i had not heard of before i came across it on amazon......thank you to amazon's algorithms for suggesting this book to me.
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