In the summer of 1959, two black teens hoping to sneak a beer in the South Carolina woods stumble on a Klan lynching led by the local judge. One bolts. The other freezes and winds up with a choice: join the man about to die, or begin hustling black support the judge needs to advance in politics. In trade, he will enjoy a life of power and comfort. Decades later, Big Ike is about to become the state's first black congressman since Reconstruction. Instead, he finds himself in the same forest, a long rope in his fist, muttering the hated nickname again and again: Bootlicker.
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Award-winning former journalist Steve Piacente serves as deputy communications director at a large federal agency in Washington, and teaches communications classes at his alma mater, American University. Steve, who also holds a Masters in Fiction from Johns Hopkins University, self-published Bella in 2010, and in 2011 was named one of “50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading” by The Authors Show. Bootlicker is the prequel to Bella, which centers on Isabel Moss’ quest to uncover the truth behind her husband's mysterious death on an Afghan battlefield. Visit: www.stevepiacente.com
Former award-winning journalist Steve Piacente is the author of Bella and recently published a prequel titled Bootlicker. Bella, the story of a young widow's quest to find the truth about her husband's death on an Afghan battlefield, won a National Indie Excellence 2012 Book Award, and the Readers Favorite 2012 Gold Medal for Dramatic Fiction. Bootlicker is the story of a dark secret that imperils the 1992 election that gave South Carolina its first black congressman since the Civil War.
But it all started for Steve way back in 1954.
Eisenhower was president, no one beat the Yankees, and Elvis was still an unknown. TV was three channels and two colors, black and white. Growing up, he didn't particularly like school. He liked baseball, egg rolls and comic books, and it was Superman that got him interested in reading and writing.
Raised in New York and educated in Washington, he kept moving south after college, eventually learning all they left out at journalism school at the feet of street-smart newspaper editors in Florida and South Carolina.
In 1985, one of those editors found him presentable enough to send back to D.C., this time as correspondent for the Tampa Tribune. The job ended four years later, and he found myself in steep competition for a similar slot with the Charleston, S.C. paper.
He won the position, enabling nine more years of Washington reporting, and front row exposure to the real South, as Charleston is far deeper into Dixie than Tampa, geography be damned. As time wore on, his NY sensibilities blended with Southern convention to produce stories on intriguing topics such as public celebration of the Confederate flag, and segregationist Senator Strom Thurmond.
It was a great time until Charleston ran out of cash and shuttered its one-man D.C. bureau. Out in the cold, he - by this time a father of three ravenous, athletic, college-bound children - found warmth in a little known federal agency. He began as a speechwriter and today heads the agency's web and social media teams.
Though Bella was his first real fiction, some thin-skinned politicians would say the stories he wrote were just as fabricated. In fact, no fiction bubbled up until he earned his license to write in the Johns Hopkins Masters program in 2000. During this time, he also reentered the classroom at American University, his alma mater, and began teaching journalism classes.
HIs insistence on clean, tight writing did no lasting harm to the three afore-mentioned children, now taxpaying adults in the fields of public relations, art therapy, and engineering. It wasn't until years later that he learned that the kids snuck secret help from their mom, Felicia Piacente, a special education administrator in the Montgomery County (Md.) Public School System.
Steve Piacente is an award-winning former journalist, whose writing will have readers addicted to political thrillers and suspense. For readers who are not familiar with Steve Piacente's previous work, I would highly recommend the author's debut novel, Bella. Bootlicker is the Prequel to Bella, starring different characters and presenting a whole new exciting journey.
It is evident that Steve Piacente placed a lot of time and effort into the development and combination of all the elements presented within Bootlicker. With the author's careful attention to detail, the storyline as well as the characters within Bootlicker feel very realistic. Steve Piacente's experience in journalism shines through his writing, which displays the author's knowledge of how journalism truly impacts politics.
My favorite element within Bootlicker is the author's writing style. Steve Piacente wastes no time getting right to the point, creating a fast-paced and quite enjoyable read. Although the novel was fast-paced, the storyline had depth and the characters were engaging throughout, which brought the whole novel together for me.
I recommend Bootlicker to readers who enjoy Suspense and Political Thrillers.
*Disclaimer: I received this book for review by the publisher*.
"Bootlicker" is even better than Piacente's first book, "Bella." It draws you in from the first page and explores a dark part of America's recent past that needs more examination. The torment of his main character--torn between his ambition and sense of justice--will stay with the reader long after the book ends. And, for "Bella" lovers, Dan Patragno is back!
Reading Steve Piacente's new novel is like drawing a warm knife through butter. Its story line is provocative, and its prose is evocative. It is a totally engrossing page turner that is a must read for anyone.
