Foul Matter [Paperback]

Martha Grimes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2004

The bestselling author of the Richard Jury novels delivers a razor-sharp and raucously funny send-up of the cutthroat world of publishing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Red pencils draw real blood in this delightful publishing world crime spoof by Grimes, expert storyteller and bestselling author of the Richard Jury mysteries (The Man with a Load of Mischief, etc.). When Paul Giverney, a hot suspense novelist, seeks a new publisher, he decides on the house of Mackensie-Haack under the condition that they dump their highly respected and award-winning author, Ned Isaly. Ruthless president Bobby Mackensie will stop at nothing to sign Giverney, even though breaking Isaly's contract is a legal impossibility. His solution? Sign another contract-this one with two hit men, who are hired to knock off Isaly. What Mackensie doesn't know is that Candy and Karl are killers with scruples and a keen interest in literature. Isaly, meanwhile, is totally engrossed in finishing his current novel and barely notices the two men as they mingle with Isaly and his friends at popular New York City literary watering holes. Not even when a multitude of bumblers follow him on a visit to his hometown of Pittsburgh-in one of the most humorous episodes in the book-does he realize his plight. Although verging on the caricaturish, the characters are memorable, especially the hit-men duo. Insider publishing lingo, a quirky plot, atmospheric settings and Grimes's dry sense of humor make this a delectable bonbon of a book.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Grimes, author of the popular Richard Jury mysteries, ventures far afield from Scotland Yard, this time to examine the cutthroat world of contemporary New York book publishing. Book contracts and Mafia hit contracts collide in this caper-satire in which the publishing houses have Dickensian names such as Grunge and DrekSneed. A popular writer suffers from terminal envy--it's not enough to bank millions per book and command the best-seller lists; he wants a big-time literary reputation. The plot hinges on the envious writer's unlikely scheme to get New York's most famous literary editor all to himself by eliminating his main competition, a genuinely talented up-and-comer. Grimes is best here at delivering insider insights about the frantic profit-mongering that dominates publishing. Along the way, too, there is plenty of time for racy editorial details (the title, for example, is the publishing term used to describe authors' manuscripts before editors get their hands on them). Grimes loses her way, unfortunately, in the midst of all the satire. Her characterization--ordinarily a strong point--tends toward the comic-bookish here, and even the comedy starts huffing and puffing with effort about halfway through. Not nearly as surefooted as the Jury novels, then, but a fun read nonetheless, thanks to some grand comic moments (like the editorial meeting with hit men in a prententious New York eatery). Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (September 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451212932
• ISBN-13: 978-0451212931
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #545,581 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Martha Grimes is the bestselling author of twenty-one Richard Jury novels, as well as the novels Dakota and Foul Matter, among others. Her previous two Jury books, The Old Wine Shades and Dust, both appeared on the New York Times bestseller list.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Foul Matter, October 27, 2006

By 

Susan A. Fisher (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Foul Matter (Hardcover)

I have enjoyed Martha Grimes for a number of years and was delighted with her jaunts off the beaten path (her entertaining Richard Jury mystery series) with Hotel Paradise and Cold Flat Junction. I cannot say that Foul Matter generated the same kind of delight. Characterization is a strong suite for Ms. Grimes, and in Foul Matter she never spends enough time with any character to do much more than present a sketch. She is writing about superficial characters, and, indeed, they come across as such. Not a loveable or particularly interesting one among them. Typically I find sentences of gold sprinkled here and there in her writing. Strangely enough, when she writes about a good writer in Foul Matter, I found little in the examples of Ned's writing that was nearly as good as when she is simply being herself. I know it is a spoof about the publishing industry; I wonder if anyone not in publishing will find it terribly entertaining. Books need people to inhabit them; this one is an idea not fully realized.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A satirical look at the publishing industry., September 3, 2003

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Foul Matter (Hardcover)

Martha Grimes's new book, "Foul Matter," is a funny and off-beat treatment of the corrupt, venal, and nasty side of the publishing industry. Paul Giverney is a best-selling author who can write his own ticket. He decides to change publishers, and he agrees to sign on with a house named Mackenzie-Haack on the condition that they drop a talented writer named Ned Isaly. Ned loves his craft and his characters live vividly in his head. He cares little about wealth and adulation. In short, he is the exact opposite of many of today's high-priced authors. Critics love Ned, but, alas, he does not command big publicity tours and his books are not displayed in the front window of major bookselling chains.

Paul Giverney negotiates a deal with an ambitious Mackenzie-Haack editor named Clive Esterhaus, who knows that getting Giverney would be a major coup for his publishing house and for him personally. Esterhaus's boss, Bobby Mackenzie, has no scruples about doing whatever it takes to get this hot author. He can actually see the dollar signs dancing in front of his eyes. To what lengths will Bobby go to get Giverney? How will Bobby get rid of Ned, who is under contract?

Grimes must know some reprehensible and unscrupulous publishing types, because her book is a scathing indictment of the business. Although the author is a bit heavy-handed in her distaste for the sordid aspects of publishing, she makes up for it with her deliciously deadpan humor and her amusingly eccentric characters. The two funniest individuals in the book are Karl and Candy, hit men with a conscience and an appreciation for a good book.

There is a farcical interlude in which Ned Isaly travels to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a virtual posse of his friends, acquaintances, and the omnipresent hit men follow him. Although everyone is trying to be incognito, all of these characters practically fall over one another. Grimes's wacky and whimsical sense of humor makes "Foul Matter" delightfully entertaining.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ultimately unsatisfying, March 29, 2004

By 

Debra Hamel (North Haven, CT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Foul Matter (Hardcover)

Best-selling author Paul Giverney is switching publishers, and most any acquisitions editor in New York would gnaw a limb off to sign him. While Paul isn't interested in self-mutilation, he does make an unusual demand of the house whose multi-million-dollar offer he's decided to accept: Mackenzie-Haack must drop one of its most valued authors--Ned Isaly, a better writer than Paul who sells far fewer books--as a prerequisite to signing Giverney. Unfortunately for Ned, "Mack-Haack" is not in a position to rip up his contract. It's far easier for the publisher to hire a pair of hit men to take Isaly out--thugs who turn out to be more discerning than your average performers of "wet work."

Foul Matter follows the sometimes comic results of Mackenzie-Haack's determination to sign Paul Giverney, and it follows Ned Isaly and his writer friends as they struggle variously with their novels. The book's premise, if implausible, is intriguing. Unfortunately, the book seems to be short a chapter or two. Grimes does finally answer the question readers have been asking themselves since the book's first chapter--why is Giverney gunning for Isaly?--although the payoff isn't really worth it. But the author leaves unanswered a more important question about Ned that develops in the book's course. Ultimately, then, Foul Matter is an unsatisfying read, though there is some fun to be had along the way.

Reviewed by Debra Hamel, author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece