Psychosomatic [Kindle Edition]

Anthony Neil Smith (Author)

Book Description

Because Lydia didn't have arms or legs, she shelled out three thousand bucks to a washed up middleweight named Cap to give her ex-husband the beating of his life.

But the beating turns to murder, and the murder into lust and desperation between Lydia and an underworld clean-up man. Meanwhile, overgrown frat boy car thieves take up cop killing as a side hobby. When these paths cross, a horror show of violence unfolds as they all slide into a hell of their own design, surrounded by the neon and noise of the casino strip on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Violent, vivid, life at hyper-speed. This debut novel from the editor of Plots with Guns is a noir nightmare that asks how much is too much in a relationship, and what is the cost of leaving? Ken Bruen calls it "the darkest song I've ever read".

Product Details

• File Size: 404 KB
• Print Length: 186 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0809550903
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004HW7K6O
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,741 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Movie! December 28, 2005

By Charlie Stella

Format:Paperback

This one screams MOVIE! Preferably by David Lynch. I read this baby cover to cover; there was no putting it down. James Ellroy brutality, Elmore Leonard dialogue, Victor Gischler humor ... that's a trifecta with an undeniable payoff. Anthony Neil Smith stomps onto the scene in this volcano of a debut. You'll have to trust me, I'm no misogynist and this one turned me on from the get-go ... pure dynamite. Not only was she and the plot believable (you just have to know people other than those living in fairytales), this baby lent a new lilt to what I sometimes think about late at night. One of my "best of" reads for the year.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Disagreeable Likable Characters March 23, 2012

By Mike Brown

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

There is not character in the book who is likable in the traditional sense. Everybody is low-life scum. Yet in an amazing feat of storytelling, the author draws you in and makes you root for the two main characters. I was actually feeling sorry for them and hoping for a positive ending. In a perverted way, the two protagonists are loyal to each other and genuinely care for each other, even though they are ruthless criminals. The book is also very funny throughout despite the dark story. The author's ability to tell a story of disagreeable characters you come to care about, in a very funny and attention-grabbing way, is quite an accomplishment.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Twisted March 7, 2012

By Heath H.

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Mr. Smith has an unparalleled talent for creating characters. Not one of the major characters in Pschosomatic is likable. Even those who seem pitiful and sympathetic when they're first introduced quickly lose their appeal (no arms, no legs--harmless, right? wrong!) There is non-stop action and non-stop conniving. Reversals of fortune abound. I too can imagine this book as a movie, however I see it directed by Quentin Tarantino. Worth the time if you're into crime fiction and aren't squeamish.