The Jook [Paperback]

Gary Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

Zelmont Raines was once a Super Bowl-winning wide receiver. But recurring injuries, a self-destructive lifestyle and too many run-ins with the law have submarined his career. Back in L.A. after bombing out of the European League, his one last chance is the expansion team in town, the Barons. Unfortunately for Zelmont, the roar of the crowds and the adulation of the fans-not to mention the money and the honeys that go with it-are no longer his for the taking. Bumped, the bitter athlete falls in with Wilma Wells, the smart (and fine) lawyer for the Barons. She's got ideas Zelmont likes...and not just in the bedroom. Soon he and his friend, the switch-hitting ex-pro defensive tackle Napoleon Graham, throw in with Wells to rip off the mobbed-up owner of the Barons. It's only then that Zelmont discovers that no matter how fast he can jook, no matter how tough he can fake, trouble is closing in on him way too fast. Mix elements of Jim Thompson with the street-smart verve of Donald Goines, add a couple of dashes of the compact delivery of Richard Stark, and you get The Jook: a crime novel where football and venal ambitions collide in the end zone.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Zelmont Raines scored the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl and was an All-Pro receiver with a string of endorsement deals. Unfortunately, he also likes to smoke crack, quench his thirst with top-shelf brandy, and entertain the fine ladies who hang out with the stars. Three stints in drug rehab, a paternity suit (guilty), a hip injury, and some misguided investments in gangsta rap have Raines thinking the good times are over. Then he meets his match--sexually and amorally--in Wilma Wells, the lawyer for the Los Angeles Barons. She's scheming to rip off the mob-connected owner of the Barons and enlists the aid of the cash-hungry and always-horny Raines. She leads him into a netherworld where the between-the-lines violence of professional football pales in the face of automatic weapons and double crosses. Phillips, author of the acclaimed Ivan Monk series, takes elements of Jim Thompson (the ending), black-exploitation flicks (the profanity-fueled dialogue), and Penthouse magazine (the sex is anatomically correct) to create an over-the-top violent caper in which there is no honor, no respect, no love, and plenty of money. Anyone who liked George Pelecanos' King Suckerman is going to love this even-grittier take on many of the same themes. Wes Lukowsky

Review

"Gary Phillips is my kind of crime writer." -- Sara Paretsky, author, Windy City Blues and the V. I. Warshawski Stories

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Really Great Books (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893329046
• ISBN-13: 978-1893329041
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,944,486 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phillips creates an unforgetable antihero, December 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Jook (Paperback)

Phillips' first crime novel easily outdoes his previous books. I'm an admitted fan of his Ivan Monk mysteries (especially Violent Spring), but the author's real calling was creating this volatile character, Zelmont Raines, a has-been football star trying to get his game back. Full of action, suspense, and intriguing conflict, The Jook is easily the best book I've read all year (sorry Oprah). If Hollywood had any sense, The Jook would be next year's Christmas blockbuster.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Non stop! I loved the Jook, November 10, 2002

By 

K Gamble (Henderson, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jook (Paperback)

Realisitic characters that you love to hate and hate to love, Gary Phillips brings them to life with a descriptive style that few could match. The non stop twists and turns in this book kept me turning pages and the descriptions were so vivid I could almost smell the garbage truck! Best of all, I wasn't cheated at the end, Mr. Phillips kept it real.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crime fiction at its best, March 17, 2005

By 

David Montgomery "Book Critic" (davidjmontgomery.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Jook (Paperback)

Zelmont Raines blew an All-Pro career in the NFL with drugs and sex. Now he's trying to crawl his way back to the top, one way or the other. When he hooks up with a crooked lawyer and a bi-sexual club owner, they put together a scheme to rip off the mob and make one last big score. With incredible characters, crackling dialogue and a plot so hard-boiled it'll curl your hair, this is crime fiction at its best.