✍ Scribed by Jason Starr
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Starred Review. Starr (The Follower) traces the life of a New York bar bouncer down on his luck in this sinister noir tale. Tommy Russo, an aspiring actor, wants in on the deal of a lifetime: purchasing a racehorse with several other backers. Gambling addict Russo barely has enough money to buy a burger, let alone contribute 10 grand, so he hocks a girlfriend's jewelry and then moves on to stealing from his boss's safe. Russo's gradual spiral down into complete degeneration is so expertly crafted that readers will be shocked to compare the hopeful actor with his final incarnation as hardened criminal. Starr expertly combines elements of hard-boiled crime novels with a dark view of human nature to create a one-of-a-kind, mesmerizing read. (June)
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Starr revisits the territory of his Nothing Personal (2000), paring the story of a doomed gambler down to its most basic elements for a swift, irresistible plummet through the darkness. Tommy Russo is a struggling actor (is there any other kind?) working as a bouncer and playing the role of his lifetime in his daily portrayal of someone with a soul, in place of which he hosts an unhealthy appetite for long odds and easy money, a fierce temper, and a genius for denial. Pursued by his trusting boss’s boozy wife—more wolverine than cougar—Russo never stops grabbing for the brass ring, and heaven help anyone who gets in his way. Russo embodies addiction’s insatiable sociopathic drive: he is a shark in human form, fated to swim continuously or die, casually devouring lovers, friends, and associates without a second thought. Round and round and round he goes, and where he’ll stop, nobody knows. Pulpy thrills for the Jim Thompson set. --David Wright
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