An entertaining look at a hit man’s struggle to stay afloat in a changing world.
In NO1UKN0’s debut crime novel, a hit man has to improvise or become obsolete.
The tanking economy leaves no industry untouched—even the Mafia. The organization is now run from fancy office parks and staffed with IT technicians and MBAs; even the hits are being outsourced to India. Frank, a seasoned, Los Angeles-based hit man, and his prize pupil, Joey, are worried. There’s not enough work, pay isn’t what it used to be, and the union is no help at all. They decide to roll with the punches and take an assignment training new recruits. Joey, whose wife is pregnant, has a weakness for pretty women and gets tangled up with Leslie, a prostitute and porn star. She has little sense and even less self-esteem, and when she finds herself behind on the rent, she takes extreme measures that tragically backfire. The novel also follows the stories of several other characters, including a disgraced cop, a Russian killer, a makeup artist moonlighting as a pimp and two idiotic petty thieves. With an intimate knowledge of LA, the author paints a setting rich with historical detail to go along with his characters’ fantastical wanderings. The novel’s tongue-in-cheek style, eclectic characters and ironic humor help deliver many amusing moments. With work scarce, once-proud hit men are reduced to making jewelry—silver charms of fedoras, bullets and Walther PPK pistols. At one point, Frank and Joey are forced by corporate to trade in their classic car for a more economical hybrid, but the car’s trunk isn’t nearly big enough to suit their needs. At first, readers may find the seemingly disparate storylines somewhat distracting, and some are weaker than others—the inept burglars, for example, aren’t nearly as fully developed as the rest of the cast. However, in the end, the many characters’ lives intersect and come full circle in a way that somehow escapes cliché.
An entertaining look at a hit man’s struggle to stay afloat in a changing world.Pub Date: May 15, 2012
ISBN: 9781475291896
Page Count: 234
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: April 23, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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