Customer Reviews

Dead City

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the great, really twisted, little book that was the inspiration for Stephen King's villian, Alexis Machine, in The Dark Half. The story revolves around the various levels of the organized crime syndicate during the early '70s, between the shooters, the muscle, and the bosses they work for. Perhaps the best writing takes place with Stevens' smooth portrayal of his characters as he takes you inside each of their heads and documents their motives and individual psychosis; also his cold, unemotional portrayals of various terrible events and descents involving them truly brings a chill to the spine, and I would liken parts of Dead City to Requiem For A Dream for its disturbing dramas. I couldn't put it down, and would give it a full five stars sheerly for it's grim style (not something you find often), but my only complaint would be that this book could have been a bit more developed, and at times felt rushed. Some characters I would have liked to learn more about, but it just didn't happen. Other than this, the book excels in its gritty assessment of organized crime, and doesn't seek to glorify it like most media presentations (for which it should be commended on alone), and will make the blood run cold!

After reading BY REASON OF INSANITY I went out and got the only other two Stevens books I could find, this on and THE ANVIL CHORUS. Still haven't read CHORUS yet but did read this. It is a great story that'll keep you hooked. I'm still wondering, though, if Stevens is still writing and where I can find info on the man.

One of the great unsung American writers--Stephen King freely acknowledged him as a strong influence and inspiration for his own work--Shane Stevens here gives us a brutal and effective portrait of mob guys--from soldier level to Don--that stings and howls. Released the same year as the first of the Godfather films, Dead City is dark and wholly character-driven. Joe Zucco, the mob chief of an undisclosed New Jersey city, bestows favors and just as easily slices up those who cross him.

Among those on his crew are Charley Flowers, a former hit man now demoted to muscle because of a prior botched job, and Harry Strega, a young guy who thinks he's going places after joining Zucco's mob. Zucco's rival is Alex Machine; his friends are few but loyal--or so he thinks--and his crew does everything he wants them to. His mistress does as well.

Stevens knows how to put his mouth where the money is. The sex and violence described here are intense, graphic, and powerful. Charley and Harry have jobs to do and they do them well. At the end, in fact, they do them too well. Along the way, Zucco, Machine, Zucco's friend Julie K, Pete Montana (Zucco's second in command) and Gino Agucci (his bodyguard) all play parts in this gripping melodrama.

Some may gripe of stereotypes here. Not true. Why not? Because Stevens is too good a writer to make us really feel any of his characters could ever be stereotypes. A sample passage--in which the author is describing Harry Strega falling asleep: "Softly came the darkness stealing behind the eyes, sealing off the consciousness, until all that remained of him was the slender breath of life."

Purple prose? Not on your life. This lets us know how tenuous a mob soldier's life really is. You do a job one day, you get paid, the next day--who knows?

Highly recommended.

This one will knock your socks off! It's THE GODFATHER meets MEAN STREETS. This is a riveting tale of the mobsters on the lower levels. The city racketeer on down to the street soliders....A warning though (no it's not about the level of violence, although it's quite violent): This is not an easy read. Not because Steven's prose or style is awkward, heck no, his writing is to the point and a pleasure to read. Some impatient and...ah let's just say it, not so bright readers may have a problem with the novel's depth. DEAD CITY covers every wheel and deal, scam, hustle and hit. And we a privy to many character's point of view....I'm not saying it's Dos Passos or Pynchon, but its deep man, deep.

If you are looking for a quick and fun read then Dead City is an excellent choice. Readers of Shane Stevens might find this one lacking the depth of his other stories, but the raw and explosive writing is still there. He brings you inside the organized crime racket, and delivers an action packed page turner. As with most of his writing this book is not for the faint of heart, with blunt in your face details involving all wheels of the maffia machine. Dead City is a NC-17 version of the movie Goodfellas, with charactors that tug at your emotions. My largest complaint would be with the ending of the book. It seems to end a bit suddenly; and leaves you wanting more, which is a common problem for even the best writers. If there was a sequel, this would be far less of an issue. Good read!

DEAD CITY is one of my all time favorite books. It is also a short and quick read, and I've read it about 5 times. The novel deals with Harry Strega, a young and pretty much emotionally-stunted war veteran who returns to Jersey City, NJ, and whose goal is to join up with the New Jersey mob. Harry starts small and works his way up to being an enforcer. I do not wish to give away the plot, but suffice it to say that as the author Shane Stevens' locale and language are street-gritty-mean, it doesn't end with Harry washing down a piece of Mom's homemade cherry pie with a glass of ice cold milk at her kitchen table on the family's Iowa farm.

DEAD CITY is dead realism featuring low to medium level wise guys breaking legs, hijacking trucks, and engaging in assorted other forms of related hi-jinks. I love the language, the scene setting, and the characters in the book, and if you find the subject matter and a noir ambience appealing, you'll like DEAD CITY.

Sopranos who? Within the world of mob fiction, there has never been a more objectively coldblooded view of the workings of organised crime from the bottom up.No romanticism, no false heroics, no bad guys with a heart of gold. Like it says on the sleeve, "this is what it is".

Newark. A city of wealth and power. Also a city run by the mob syndicate. Smuggling, extortion, loyalty, and double-crosses are the law and only the smartest and strongest are left standing. A very realistic crime story with stunning detail and insight into organized crime. However, DEAD CITY lacks cohesiveness and contains a few stereotypical mobsters which contribute to keeping it an average read. DEAD CITY is still worth reading for the gritty, realistic language of Stevens...