Customer Reviews

Dog day afternoon

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If you enjoyed the Al Pacino movie, treat yourself to its superb print version. Written by Leslie Waller, under the pseudonym Patrick Mann, this base-on-true-story novel is woefully unknown and underrated, but thanks to Internet bookstores, no longer hard to find. Waller, writing in third person, pulls you right into the life of Joe Nowicki, aka Littlejoe, who plans to rob a Queens Chase Bank so he can pay for a sex change operation for his transvestite lover. Topical and raunchy were two words used to describe the book and movie in the early 70s. The dialogue is a treat to the ear and the suspense is unyielding, even if you know the ending from the movie. I don't know why the novel didn't have a long shelf life, but it deserves to be back in print and read by a larger audience.

This is one of the best crime books I have read in awhile. I saw the movie years ago and had no idea it was a book until I saw it for sale in a cafe for a buck. While the movie sticks to the bank heist, the book takes you into the world of guys who engage in homosexual acts but don't consider themselves gay. They are just 'checking things out.' Littlejoe, the main character, is a fascinating figure. He starts off sleazy and manipulating but in the end turns out to be the most decent person in the story. This book has a lot of good insights as well. I am surprised it doesn't have more reviews.