Gutshot Straight: A Novel [Paperback]

Lou Berney (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 1, 2011

“Lou Berney’s novel is so energetic, so droll, and so wheezingly funny that it accomplished what no book ever has before: it made me forget to eat lunch.”
—Stephen Harrigan, New York Times bestselling author of Challenger Park

A fast and funny caper in the tradition of Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen, and the Coen Brothers, Gutshot Straight brings a fresh new talent into the crime fiction fold: Louis Berney. He’s already won raves for his short fiction collection The Road to Bobby Joe and Other Stories (“Rivals the work of contemporary hotshots T.C. Boyle and Ralph Lombreglia” —Chicago Tribune). With Gutshot Straight, Berney is “all in”—sure to win a fervent following with the story of “Shake” Bouchon, fresh out of prison and on the straight and narrow path…after maybe just one last job.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Berney, author of the collection The Road to Bobby Joe and Other Stories, proves just as adept at longer fiction in this fast-moving caper novel, which smoothly blends humor, action and romantic frisson. Charles Shake Bouchon steps out of a California prison resolved to stay free and clear; 48 hours later he's effectively double-crossed powerful Armenian L.A. mob boss Alexandra Ilandryan, ripped off dangerous Las Vegas powerhouse Dick the Whale Moby and impulsively rescued exotic con woman Gina Clement, who may be the most dangerous of the three. Extremely rare, highly unusual religious artifacts play a key role as the 42-year-old Shake attempts to extricate himself from a situation that gets more complex and deadly by the hour. Shake is a quick-thinking fellow with dreams of owning a restaurant, but if fate is kind, he'll return for the same kinds of adventures as those Berney recounts in this engaging debut. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Charles “Shake” Bouchon leaves prison intending to go straight. But, within hours, lovely, lethal Lexy Ilandryan, head of LA’s Armenian mob and Shake’s one-time lover, has him running an “errand” for her. The task seems simple: drive a car to Las Vegas and turn it over to Dick Moby, a 400-pound sadist who runs a strip club. Moby will give him a briefcase that he is to return to Lexy. Shake needs the three large Lexy hands him, but he quickly learns that nothing is as it seems; in short order, he’s ditched by a gorgeous young stripper who had been stuffed in the car’s trunk and is on the run from the Armenians and Moby’s able henchman. She’s also searching for the briefcase, which contains a priceless religious relic. Virtually every character is memorable, and the chemistry between Shake and Gina, the gorgeous and devious stripper, is brilliant. The plot turns are constant, and the dialogue is sharp. The bad guys are wonderfully scary, and the locales—Las Vegas and Panama—are vividly drawn. The estimable Elmore Leonard might be very pleased to call Gutshot Straight his own. --Thomas Gaughan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (February 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061766348
• ISBN-13: 978-0061766343
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,323,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy, breezy, incredibly fun January 22, 2010

By BookLover

Format:Hardcover

Absolutely adored this debut novel. I love crime capers in general so this was a great addition. Think Elmore Leonard, with the mixture of humor and twists and turns.

The plot is pretty basic - guy gets in over his head (thanks to a beautiful woman) and has to evade two very brutal mobsters. Set in Las Vegas and Panama, the book isn't going to win awards for reinventing a new plot but it takes the tried and true and makes it feel fresh and clever. The double crosses are fantastic, and characters stay true to themselves. The plot twists come fast and furious.

All of the characters, from the smallest players like an assistant's assistant, to the main characters of Shake and Gina are memorable. You root for the good guys because they are really good. You root against the bad guys because they are really bad. And Gina, well, she's something else altogether. A very interesting character who again, stays true to herself. She is who she is, love her or hate her, take it or leave it. And like Shake, the readers can't help but want to take it and love her.

I read this book in two nights and I don't know how anyone else can put it down. The action picks up from page 1 and doesn't ever let go. The dialogue is bouncy and refreshing, the characters are interesting, the action is exciting, the writing is wonderful. If you like crime capers and are looking for a new writer to believe in, here is Lou Berney.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Roller-Coaster "Ride" July 12, 2010

By Karen B.

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Gutshot Straight is, without a doubt, the best crime story that I have read. On a scale of 1 to 10, when compared to all other books I have read, I would give this book an "11." The book is not only action-packed, with a plot full of twists and turns, as well as being humorous, but the book also provides detailed character development (which is often lacking in most action-packed books that I have read). I loved the characters and hope that a sequel, or at least another book by Lou Berney will be written and published in the not too distant future. I choose not to provide any details about the plot since that is what makes this book full of surprises and twists and turns until the very end of the book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars One mistake with the mob is all it takes... March 7, 2010

By K. Maxwell

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Shake is fresh out of prison when he is asked by his old boss to deliver a car to Las Vegas as a once off job to give him some quick money. He's horrified, half way there to find a lady gagged and bound in the boot of the car. He takes pity on her in Vegas when she tells him she's a kidnapped housewife named Gina and he decides he'd rather cross the Vegas and LA mob than send her to a certain death...only Shake is about to find out that he's mistaken in what he thinks he knows..

This is a clever mob novel full of shady characters. It's also a pretty unlikely story that tangles all over itself as everyone tries to recover from the initial mistake that shake made in giving Gina the benefit of the doubt. This is a clever read, but having said that I didn't really like any these characters enough to want to read this again. It's a quick way to pass a few hours, but this is not ultimately one of those books you go gushing to your friends to read.