Amici:
Why do I have to learn of this at a conservative website (I wonder)? “As one typically indignant reader said: "Obama's jobs Czar, [Jeff] Immelt, moves good jobs to China, again." Another fumed, "Immelt made a big deal of blasting other CEOs for not creating more jobs in the US while he now moves a business to China.”I do thank the conservative website (and the Colonel, a veteran and a very good man, no matter how much we “might” disagree at times) for pointing it out, by the way.
What a country ... an absolute incompetent in the oval office and a school of greedy sharks (Jeff Immelt (GE), Blankfein(Goldman Sachs), et al) determined to put the rest of America out of work.
Change we can believe in, huh?
Tea Party free market patriotism, huh?
Anyone believing in either of the above ... TK says, Blow it out your ass already!
And now that we’ve alienated another 30,000,000 or so readers, some shameless self-promotion ...
Synopsis:
Reese Waters is headstrong, principled, and a bit naive. The former bus driver and now ex-con merely wants to do the right thing by prison buddy Peter Rizzo. He just doesn’t expect the right thing to entail $50,000 in cash, a funeral, the mean-spirited schemes of Rizzo’s congenitally greedy ex-wife, confrontations with Mafia consigliere Jimmy Valentine, two hit men, a Nation of Islam splinter group, and the homicide investigation of two New York police detectives. Reese is barely a day out of Fishkill Penitentiary before his world is spinning crazily out of control because everybody’s after the money, which is all at once a divorce settlement, an unhonored debt, a ransom demand, a shakedown, a killer’s fee, and a mere fifty g’s. With dynamite dialogue, high-octane action, and hardboiled humor, what author Charlie Stella’s cheapskates will do for the money gets as wild as the ride of a runaway bus loose on Second Avenue. Available on Kindle here now.
Reviews:
“It takes a finely tuned ear to write dialogue that rings true, and Stella (Charlie Opera , etc.) has it. With his hapless crooks and wry humor, he belongs in line behind Elmore Leonard and Donald E. Westlake ... Readers will eagerly await the next book from this talented author.” –Publishers Weekly
“Charlie Stella's first novel, “Eddie's World,” drew favorable comparison with such masters of the crime novel as Mario Puzo and Elmore Leonard. Three outings later, that judgment is still valid. A born storyteller, Stella combines quirky characters, clever plotting and a keen ear for the jargon of the streets to produce a thriller redolent with shocks, suspense and – somewhat surprisingly – humor.” – Robert Wade (San Diego Union Tribune)
“...Stella’s fourth novel delivers on the promise of his previous books. He’s a natural storyteller, a sparkling dialoguer and a keen observer of the more selfish aspects of human nature. Cheapskates is a fast moving, slick talking ride, people with eccentrically believable characters. Even the cheapskates among you won’t mind parting with your hard earned cash for a read like this.” – Russel D McLean (CrimeSceneScotland)
“Cheapskates builds to a climactic shootout on the streets of New York that plays like a cross between the money chase in It's A Mad Mad Mad World and the final fire fight at the Alamo.” – ThisWeek
“Stella (Charlie Opera, 2003, etc.) loves his people, the bad no less than the good, which is why you will too.” – Kirkus Reviews
“With his fourth book, Cheapskates (Carroll & Graf, $25), Stella has combined his playwright's gift for crackling dialogue with another strong, character-driven story that resonates with authenticity and emotion ... Stella writes with intelligence and wit, infusing his stories with the reality of the streets and a sly sense of humor. He might just be the best crime writer you've never read.” – David Montgomery (Chicago Sun-Times)
“Charlie Stella writes the kind of “George Higgins on Mulberry Street” dialogue you imagine he might from his name, and he tells a pretty good tale of hit men and Mafiosi and ex-convicts who are actually innocent in 'Cheapskates' (Avalon, 304 pages, $25). Charlie Stella's previous opus, the nearly eponymous 'Charlie Opera,' did well, and this one should, too.” – Harper Barnes (St. Louis Today)
“...a metropolitan Macbeth filled with mobsters, bent cops, a Nation of Islam splinter group, and a rapacious ex-wife. Stella, the author of three well-received, character-driven crime novels—presents another deeply realized hero confronting a greed-crazed world.” – Connie Fletcher (Booklist)
Poisoned Pen Book Clubs
CLUB PICK FOR APRIL 2005...
Hardboiled Crime: Cheapskates
“Stella is really one of the best dialogue writers going right now, making exchanges do everything and anything he wants -- move the plot, convey conflict, add character color and give each person an individual voice ... The decent folk have their gray areas and the sleazes are all too human and Stella oversees them all like a master puppeteer.” – Sarah Weinman (Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind)
“Highly recommended. A different look at the world of criminals and their intentions toward each other and the world in general. Plenty of action. Once you start reading, you'll want to keep turning pages to see what will happen next. Enjoy.” – Anne K. Edwards, (New Mystery Reader)
Cheapskates will be available on Nook in a few days as well.
Reese Waters is headstrong, principled, and a bit naive. The former bus driver and now ex-con merely wants to do the right thing by prison buddy Peter Rizzo. He just doesn’t expect the right thing to entail $50,000 in cash, a funeral, the mean-spirited schemes of Rizzo’s congenitally greedy ex-wife, confrontations with Mafia consigliere Jimmy Valentine, two hit men, a Nation of Islam splinter group, and the homicide investigation of two New York police detectives. Reese is barely a day out of Fishkill Penitentiary before his world is spinning crazily out of control because everybody’s after the money, which is all at once a divorce settlement, an unhonored debt, a ransom demand, a shakedown, a killer’s fee, and a mere fifty g’s. With dynamite dialogue, high-octane action, and hardboiled humor, what author Charlie Stella’s cheapskates will do for the money gets as wild as the ride of a runaway bus loose on Second Avenue. Available on Kindle here now.
Reviews:
“It takes a finely tuned ear to write dialogue that rings true, and Stella (Charlie Opera , etc.) has it. With his hapless crooks and wry humor, he belongs in line behind Elmore Leonard and Donald E. Westlake ... Readers will eagerly await the next book from this talented author.” –Publishers Weekly
“Charlie Stella's first novel, “Eddie's World,” drew favorable comparison with such masters of the crime novel as Mario Puzo and Elmore Leonard. Three outings later, that judgment is still valid. A born storyteller, Stella combines quirky characters, clever plotting and a keen ear for the jargon of the streets to produce a thriller redolent with shocks, suspense and – somewhat surprisingly – humor.” – Robert Wade (San Diego Union Tribune)
“...Stella’s fourth novel delivers on the promise of his previous books. He’s a natural storyteller, a sparkling dialoguer and a keen observer of the more selfish aspects of human nature. Cheapskates is a fast moving, slick talking ride, people with eccentrically believable characters. Even the cheapskates among you won’t mind parting with your hard earned cash for a read like this.” – Russel D McLean (CrimeSceneScotland)
“Cheapskates builds to a climactic shootout on the streets of New York that plays like a cross between the money chase in It's A Mad Mad Mad World and the final fire fight at the Alamo.” – ThisWeek
“Stella (Charlie Opera, 2003, etc.) loves his people, the bad no less than the good, which is why you will too.” – Kirkus Reviews
“With his fourth book, Cheapskates (Carroll & Graf, $25), Stella has combined his playwright's gift for crackling dialogue with another strong, character-driven story that resonates with authenticity and emotion ... Stella writes with intelligence and wit, infusing his stories with the reality of the streets and a sly sense of humor. He might just be the best crime writer you've never read.” – David Montgomery (Chicago Sun-Times)
“Charlie Stella writes the kind of “George Higgins on Mulberry Street” dialogue you imagine he might from his name, and he tells a pretty good tale of hit men and Mafiosi and ex-convicts who are actually innocent in 'Cheapskates' (Avalon, 304 pages, $25). Charlie Stella's previous opus, the nearly eponymous 'Charlie Opera,' did well, and this one should, too.” – Harper Barnes (St. Louis Today)
“...a metropolitan Macbeth filled with mobsters, bent cops, a Nation of Islam splinter group, and a rapacious ex-wife. Stella, the author of three well-received, character-driven crime novels—presents another deeply realized hero confronting a greed-crazed world.” – Connie Fletcher (Booklist)
Poisoned Pen Book Clubs
CLUB PICK FOR APRIL 2005...
Hardboiled Crime: Cheapskates
“Stella is really one of the best dialogue writers going right now, making exchanges do everything and anything he wants -- move the plot, convey conflict, add character color and give each person an individual voice ... The decent folk have their gray areas and the sleazes are all too human and Stella oversees them all like a master puppeteer.” – Sarah Weinman (Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind)
“Highly recommended. A different look at the world of criminals and their intentions toward each other and the world in general. Plenty of action. Once you start reading, you'll want to keep turning pages to see what will happen next. Enjoy.” – Anne K. Edwards, (New Mystery Reader)
Cheapskates will be available on Nook in a few days as well.
—Knucks
