A Landlord's Tale [Paperback]

Gammy Singer (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (February 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758208936
• ISBN-13: 978-0758208934
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,528,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've only recently become a writer, so the world of writing and the writers that inhabit that world are pretty fascinating to me. I am in awe everyday at the productivity and creativity I see--there's magic everywhere. How did I become a writer? I went back to school and got a Masters Degree in writing from Seton Hill University, located in Greensburg, PA. They had a program which worked for me. Before I left the school I had acquired an agent and a two book-deal. My first novel, A Landlord's Tale, has been optioned by Laurence Fishburne's Gypsy Cinema Productions. My goal is to write a book a year, although, because I'm behind, I intend to get two books finished this year. My friends and some readers will like that cuz they keep asking for yet another landlord's tale. It takes them a day or two--maybe a week tops to read my novels--but it takes me a year to write one. Is that skewed, or what?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome and Sexy, November 12, 2004

By 

Roz (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Landlord's Tale (Paperback)

This book is awsome. It has a sexy main character who I actually loved being inside his mind as he went on an adventure into his past. I miss reading his thoughts. In this book Harlem is full of funny and real people who all play important roles in weaving this tale.

THIS IS A MUST READ... I hope that that the writer will continue to bring back these characters and make this book the first of many.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Landlord's Tale : A PeoplewholoveGoodBooks Review, February 17, 2005

By 

Shay C (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Landlord's Tale (Paperback)

A Landlord's Tale by Gammy L. Singer is a book that captures your attention from beginning to end. Amos Brown has just inherited two brownstones in Harlem from a father that he never knew. It seems that if it weren't for bad luck, Amos would have no luck at all. He's not into drugs but his habit is gambling, his wife has just left him and he owes Harry, the West Indian drug lord big money. But after Amos moves in, the tenants become like family and their problems become his. But of course, he has skeletons in the closet: literally. His mother's body is found in the building across the street and that opens another set of wounds and brings many unanswered questions. The story captures your attention in that you get caught in the mystery of what happened to Amos's mother: what happened? Did his father do it? , You get caught up in the budding romance between Amos and Catherine, a woman who happens to be Harry's niece, and now of course, Harry is trying to pull him in the business. And you get caught up in the mystery of Zeke, the mysterious old man who used to be his father's best friend but seems to have it in for Amos. It all comes together in a story that you will truly enjoy. I give this book 4 stars. Reviewed by Shay C of PeoplewholoveGoodBooks

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New York Noir at its Best, April 26, 2005

By 

Patrick Picciarelli "Author: THE POP LINE (Ha... (Pittsburgh. PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Landlord's Tale (Paperback)

I'll dispense with an overview of the story as past reviewers have done that; what I'd like to comment on is the writing, sense of place, and style.

As a published true crime, crime novelist and graduate level creative writing instuctor, it's rare to find a writer, particulary a first-time novelist, who writes so lyrically and at the same time so gritty. Ms. Singer truly captures New York's Harlem community in the 70s and makes her characters come alive with authenticity and originality. I served in the NYPD during that era as a street cop in Harlem and this novel brought me back to the streets, the decent people who lived there, the cops who invaded the turf in search of the drug dealers, scam artists and hustlers who permeated Harlem before hoards of downtowners yuppified what was once the most cohesive and colorful neighnborhood in New York City.

Ms. Singer tells the story of an ordinary man thrust into extraordinary circumstances with subtlety and depth unlike any novel I've read in a long time. As I read the author's poignant, sometimes cynical metaphors, I felt as if Raymnd Chandler came back in the form of Chester Himes, got a sex change along the way, and wrote one helluva novel that is just as much about people as it is about the great community that is Harlem.

Do not pass up the chance to read this novel. You'll come away refreshed and aware that there still are some great emerging writers appearing every so often to reinforce our faith in editors and their ability to pick talent out of a heap of so-so submissions.

I'm looking forward to the author's next book and will love to see how she can top this excellent novel.