---
product_id: 57538755
title: "Knottspeed: A Love Story Hardcover – February 14, 2017"
brand: "jeff johnson"
price: "R686"
currency: ZAR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
category: "Books"
url: https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/57538755-knottspeed-a-love-story-hardcover-february-14-2017
store_origin: ZA
region: South Africa
---

# Knottspeed: A Love Story Hardcover – February 14, 2017

**Brand:** jeff johnson
**Price:** R686
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Knottspeed: A Love Story Hardcover – February 14, 2017 by jeff johnson
- **How much does it cost?** R686 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.za](https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/57538755-knottspeed-a-love-story-hardcover-february-14-2017)

## Best For

- jeff johnson enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted jeff johnson brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Review
        	
        	
        		
        		
	        		
						
			        		Johnson&#x2019;s (Everything Under the Moon) second novel drops readers into the unpredictable world of the infamous and mysterious Knottspeed. The story begins in the middle of a string of unfortunate and poorly planned escapades with Knottspeed waking up in his dilapidated house, hurt, hungover, and barely able to walk. As one of Knottspeed&#x2019;s unwitting accomplices puts it, readers are dropped into the &#x201C;middle of the opera&#x201D; without knowing what started this odd man on his destructive path or what his endgame will be. Through dark, sarcastic humor glazed with cynical insights into the human condition, Johnson turns readers into confused collaborators in the outlandish, death-defying schemes through which Knottspeed drags his broken body. The object of his destructive search through Portland, Ore., and Los Angeles slowly comes to the forefront as he careens from bar to bar: a mysterious woman named Maria. Knottspeed is trying to find her with the aid of a paid friend named Fencepost Beckenshire, a slew of angry cab drivers, and a doctor who has lost his way. Bullets fly, knives are drawn, and death is waiting to join the fray as the characters cuss, fight, and drink their way out of the dull, uneventful lives they had led before Knottspeed arrived. Will they survive the chaos? Will they survive Knottspeed? All roads collide in Johnson&#x2019;s irreverent, chaotic novel, with an ending that will leave readers stunned.&#x2015;Publisher&apos;s Weekly&#x201C;Phillip Marlowe meets Huston&#x2019;s Joe Pitt, Knottspeed is legendary, irreverent, and deeply funny. A philosophical love letter to vagabonds and outcasts everywhere.&#x201D;&#x2015;Kate Moretti, New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year and The Blackbird SeasonJohnson wastes no time in establishing the world and characters as filthy washed out, dangerous &#x2015; albeit incredibly charming &#x2015; victims of life&#x2019;s cruel sense of humor. Like reading a Hunter S. Thompson parable by way of Chandler and Westlake, the story screams along at the speed of sound . . . . Exciting, hilarious and well-written. . . . Titular character Knottspeed barges into the lives of an alcoholic piano player, a disillusioned doctor and a bemused cabbie as he works to get back to the only woman he&#x2019;s ever loved. A whirlwind of a man, Knottspeed seems to work as an agent of chaos until it all begins to become very clear that his actions may be more deliberate than anyone can or will believe.&quot;&#x2015;RT Book ReviewsAdvance Praise for Everything Under the Moon (Soft Skull Press, September 2016):&#x201C;There&#x2019;s a whole world out there, that most of us never need to know about. A world of predators and prey, and predators who prey on predators. It&#x2019;s a dog eat dog world, and things are getting a bit hairy. It&#x2019;s Jeff Johnson&#x2019;s world, where the volume is always cranked up to eleven, the violence is cranked up to the max, and it&#x2019;s just one damned thing after another. The pace is fast, the plot is racing, and restraint has been kicked into the gutter. And it&#x2019;s got werewolves. What more do you want?&#x201D; &#x2015;Simon R. Green, New York Times Bestselling author of Tales from the NightsideAdvance Praise for Lucky Supreme (Skyhorse Publishing, 2016):&#x201C;Jeff Johnson writes with a poet&apos;s rhythm, a boxer&apos;s attitude and an artist&apos;s sense of style and flair.&#x201D;&#x2015;Norman Green, Shamus Award-winning authorPraise for Tattoo Machine:&#x201C;Jeff Johnson is a gifted and natural born storyteller.&#x201D;&#x2015;John Irving, Academy Award-winning author of The Cider House Rules&quot;Tattoo Machine is meticulously observed, savagely funny, and deeply compassionate. It&apos;s a tale of up-from-under redemption through the shadowed art of personal symbolism. Jeff Johnson is a sharp-eyed master tattoo artist and an extraordinary writer.&quot;&#x2015;Katherine Dunn, author of Geek Love&quot;An amazing firsthand account of all things you wondered about tattoo shops. I loved it.&quot;&#x2015;Gus Van Sant&quot;A wry, tender story about the tribulations of flesh and ink&#x2015;and funny as hell. I&apos;ve never understood why people get tattoos, but after reading Jeff&apos;s excellent book I may just get one myself.&#x201D; &#x2015;Steve Dublanica, author of New York Times Bestselling Waiter Rant?&quot;For everyone out there who is as fascinated by skin art as much as I am, Jeff Johnson&apos;s memoir is a must read, a gritty, brutally honest account of his life and years in the tattoo business. Equally hilarious, alarming, heartbreaking, rebellious, and philosophical, Tattoo Machine gets inside your head and leaves an impression that goes deeper than any needle, one that will only be wiped away when you, dear customer, are dead and gone.&quot;&#x2015;Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff?&#x201C;Tattoo parlors are showcases for the socially disreputable, the brazenly nonconformist and the indelibly creative, all on display in this colorful memoir.&#x201D;&#x2015;Publishers Weekly&quot;One of the best books I&#x2019;ve read so far this year&#x2026; a reading experience that transcends the subject matter.&#x201D;&#x2015;Jeff VanderMeer&#x201C;Funny, outlandish, and sometimes disturbing&#x2026;&#x201D;&#x2015;New York Post&#x201C;Astonishing candor and brilliant imagery.&#x201D;&#x2015;London Free Press&#x201C;Absolutely fascinating.&#x201D;&#x2015;Washington Post
						    	
					    	
						
						Read more
					
	        	
        	
        
        	
        		About the Author
        	
        	
        		
        		
	        		
						
			        		Jeff Johnson burst onto the literary scene in 2009 with his critically-lauded memoir Tattoo Machine: Tall Tales, True Stories, and My Life in Ink (Spiegel & Grau) filled with stories from his twenty-year career as a tattoo artist in the Pacific Northwest. Johnson is now a full-time writer, artist, and musician, and Knottspeed is set in his old haunts of Portland and Los Angeles. Jeff is also the author of a modern twist on a werewolf tale Everything Under the Moon (Soft Skull Press, September 2016), and the forthcoming crime novel Lucky Supreme.
						    	
					    	
						
						Read more

## Images

![Knottspeed: A Love Story Hardcover – February 14, 2017 - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51WEykPwn8L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A truly strange love story!
        
*by B***V on September 26, 2017*

All I can say is, I want to read this book again and again!  I don’t reread books, but I was so immersed in these characters that I didn’t want to leave them. I want more of Knottspeed and Maria and Tay Tay and all the people that touched my heart along the way as Jeff Johnson hurled us through a tailspin of wondrous confusion! But he gave us an ending to top them all! You’re a fantastic writer Jeff Johnson!
  

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Impressive Writing
        
*by A***R on February 25, 2017*

This is not the kind of thing I would normally read, but I have to say I enjoyed every page. The plot is a little loose, but this writer is brilliant enough to pull off a loose plot. This short book is packed with funny observations, philosophies, absurdities, witty one-liners, and unforgettable characters (especially the eponymous Knottspeed). Johnson is almost Franzen-esque in the depth of character he's able to achieve and also the ease with which he navigates various socioeconomic landscapes (e.g., from hospital administration to east L.A. gang activity). Very impressive work.
  

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A unique and provocative wordsmith.
        
*by L***R on March 29, 2017*

Jeff Johnson is a unique and provocative wordsmith who delivers one hell of a dark and dirty tale. He plays with story structure and odd character development and his descriptive powers never disappoint. Even when you think you know where the story is going he manages to sneak in a surprise. I can't wait to read his next book.
  

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/57538755-knottspeed-a-love-story-hardcover-february-14-2017](https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/57538755-knottspeed-a-love-story-hardcover-february-14-2017)

---

*Product available on Desertcart South Africa*
*Store origin: ZA*
*Last updated: 2026-03-09*