Customer Reviews

Shakedown: a novel of crime

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ex-Mob bookmaker Bobby Genarro is not a Mafioso, he's just a guy who got caught up with the wrong people at the wrong time in his life. Things changed after he started dating the beautiful and fiery Lin Yao--Bobby quit his job, and began planning for a very different future, one that included marrying his paramour and moving far from New York's Little Italy, where he'd spent most of his life.

Intent on implementing this scheme, Bobby has purchased an engagement ring for Lin Yao, which he plans to give her at an opportune moment. Fate has other ideas, however, as former colleagues suddenly resurface, trying to extort money from Bobby on the orders of the new mob boss. Although he knows he'll have to pony up a token amount to get them off his back, the figure Bobby has in mind is nowhere near the sum the crooks demand. Unable to go to the law, Bobby scrambles to resolve the unfinished business from his past so he can pursue a brighter future.

Fast, funny and violent, Shakedown is crime fiction at its very best, recalling the work of masters like Elmore Leonard and Donald Westlake. An instinctive storyteller, Stella combines the humorous and the horrifying to great effect. The Little Italy he evokes lives and breathes, providing a realistic backdrop to the trials and tribulations of his very human cast, all of whom are very carefully drawn. Stella's cops and criminals are real people struggling with outsize problems, making for "arresting" reading.

Charlie Stella indeed lives up to what the Chicago Sun-Times describes as "...the best crime writer you've never read." And after ripping non-stop through action-crammed pages of wise guys doing bad deeds, I couldn't help wondering: "why haven't I ever heard of this guy?" Check out the dust cover and just take a look at Stella - that mug screams New York, the mob, and "fuggetaboutit." With a street-hardened rawness that makes Puzo read like Mother Goose, Stella tells the story of Bobby Gennaro, recently retired bookmaker for the mob that simply wants to settle down and marry girl friend Lin Yao, raise a family, and leave the famiglia behind. Except the Soprano-boys won't hear of it, shaking Bobby down for a piece of the action he's stowed away during his wayward days. But in the world of Charlie Stella, the Italian mob isn't edgy enough, and soon Bobby finds himself in the middle of not only the Godfather's guys, but the Chinese mob, their Irish counterparts, and a crooked cop. Suspense builds between some raunchy sex and people getting turned into Swiss cheese, leading to an inevitable crescendo of even more violence.

But a word of fair warning to the gentle readers of Berkeley or Palo Alto: Charlie Stella must have been absent for diversity training: his frequent use of insensitive terms like "chink", "Dago", and "mick" may offend more enlightened ears.

But don't get me wrong - this isn't all sex, brutality, and political incorrectness. The dialogue is sharp and authentic, and there's even room for a street-smart priest to raise the book's levels of social redeeming factors. But not that much. So trust me - Charlie Stella is the real deal, a crime writer who "gets" the streets of New York and the thugs who walk them. This may have been my first Stella novel, but definitely not my last - I've already ordered two of his earlier works.

"Shakedown" was my first Charlie Stella novel and it will not be my last by any means. Stella is a master of dialogue and atmosphere; indeed, his take on the mob and the mean streets of Manhatten reads like a Martin Scorcece screenplay. I cannot emphasize how authentic and captivating his dialogue and character interactions are written.

The story is simple enough yet, like so much of life, quickly escalates into unimagined complications. Bobby Gennaro was a non-made book maker working for the Mafia who decided he had skimmed enough bets for himself and "retired" to move into a new life which includes marrying his love Lin Yao.

Unfortunately, the mob is in a period of turmoil and one capo or captain after another is "flipping" or turning informant. The newest powers distrust Bobby because he retired only months before his boss "flipped" causing another power struggle along with retribution. As the former mobster's followers are "whacked" in a process of elimination, Bobby becomes higher profile than he wanted. A local captain decides to put the squeeze on Bobby for a portion of the imagined money he may have skimmed.

This sets in motion a series of events that ultimately entwine the Mafia, competing factions of the Irish mob, the Chinese triads (led by Lin Yao's cousin, Rickey Zhu), and, of course, a crooked cop. As Booby tries to traverse an ever increasing battleground in an effort to extricate himself from the Mafia's radar, he leaves behind death, mayhem, and betrayal. Bobby is likable, believable, and none too gentle as a foe of the mobs.

Stella writes in a fluid, literate style that captivates the reader and engages the reader in his character's world. His style truly reflects that of a screenplay; in fact, I would expect to see this work in movie form soon. There is a healthy dose of humor but only in appropriate good vs. evil interactions...his good guys are infinitely smarter than his bad guys. Only a rushed ending that ties up all the pieces in a few pages kept this from being a 5 star rating for me. I highly recommend this novel to devotees of the neo-noir thriller genre.

I read this one based upon the recommendation of Gary Griffiths And ripped through it in one night. This is an enjoyable, fast-paced, humorous story in the vein of Victor Gischler or Steve Brewer. If you like funny crime stories where the heroes are clever, strong and brave and the bad guys are oafish and get what is coming to them, then you'll enjoy this. This one is meant to be fun, light reading and makes a nice change-up from the edgy, in-your-face, gritty realism that I normally read.

Bobby Gennaro is an ex-bookie, retired form the mob, trying to convince his Chinese girlfriend to marry him and live the American dream, when the mafia tries to shake him down for some cashola. Unfortunately Bobby tells them to take a hike. The story escalates and the violence spins out-of-control as first the Irish mob, and then the Chinese triads, get sucked into the escalating problem. The body count mounts until the final satisfying denouement. As I said this one is fun and light-hearted despite the violence and makes for a nice change-up. I'll be ordering more Charlie Stella for sure.

I picked up Charlie Stella's first book, Eddie's World, at a small book shop and was pleasantly surprised with my read. So I gave his second book, Jimmy Bench-Press, a chance. That was even better. Then his third, Charlie Opera, which was phenomenal. Each one was better than the next and this is no different. He has such a sharp talent for dialogue that the plot becomes second place. If you have an open mind toward violence and loose language, then prepare to laugh and get ready for a tour de force of a novel. Move over Elmore Leonard.

When Bobby Gennaro chooses Lin Yao, and love, over his mob job, he asks for trouble and it never stops. The unique plot, hardcore/charming characters, and that realistic Stella dialogue and atmosphere--they'll keep you away from work. Criminal aggression alongside endearing human qualities and humor reach the peak of Stella's inimitable style, and his psychological insights are unparalleled. I laughed the cat off my lap, reading the church scene where mobsters discuss business in a "reverent" manner. There's much more than crime here to love.

A big fan of Charlie Stella's since Eddie's World, I was eagerly anticipating his newest work -- and he did not disappoint! Keeping in tradition with his previous successes, Shakedown's dialogue is dynamite, and the action could be well adapted to the big screen. For fans of first rate crime fiction, read Shakedown -- or anything else by Charlie Stella. Fantastic!

I'm starting to suspect that Charlie Stella's books are printed on flypaper. Once I pick 'em up, I can't put 'em down. A couple years back, around Thanksgiving, I read his book CHEAPSKATES. It took me less than a day. Excellent, I couldn't put it down. I followed that up with SHAKEDOWN. Great book, maybe even better than Cheapskates. Stella's characters are colorful and believable, and he writes some of the best dialog going. His metaphor mangling mobster Tommy Agro may be the funniest wiseguy ever.

Anyway, if you're a fan of good crime fiction and you enjoy stories about wiseguys (and not-so-wiseguys), check out one of Charlie Stella's books. Just don't expect to be able to put it down.

One of the best crime writers working today. Charlie Stella is the real thing. He knows how to tell a story. Shakedown is a good place to start, but for my money, go back to the beginning and enter Eddie's World, move on to meet Jimmy Bench Press, then make the acquaintance of Charlie Opera, get to know the Cheapskates, and land on Shakedown to fully appreciate the range and development of this fine writer who earns and exceeds the comparisons to George V. Higgins, Elmore Leonard, and Donald Westlake. Charlie Stella's fiction never disappoints.