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Skin Games: A crime drama
 
 

Skin Games: A crime drama [Kindle Edition]

Adam Pepper
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Adam Pepper writes with zeal, verve, and a steak knife to the throat.
   -Scott Nicholson, Author of Liquid Fear

Product Description

When a mafia princess falls for a two-bit hoodlum an unhappy don plays some rough games in order to separate the two lovers.

Sean O'Donnell is a man who always keeps his word, especially to a lady. His good-for-nothing old man left his mother flat. When she gets ill, Sean assures her that he will never be like his father; if he makes a promise he will keep it, no matter what the cost. When local mob boss Mario Torretta's daughter Nicole falls for Sean, the Don is not pleased, and makes it known that Sean is not good enough for his princess. However, Nicole is in love and begs Sean to stick by her. Once Sean gives his word, no amount of pressure from the Don will weaken his resolve. Sean will endure and persevere to keep his promise to Nicole, and to his mother.

Reservoir Dogs meets Romeo and Juliet in this emotionally charged, fast-moving crime drama for fans of Dennis Lehane, Andrew Vachss and Charlie Huston.

Product Details

  • File Size: 321 KB
  • Print Length: 260 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Innovation Haven (January 3, 2012)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B006T80SPY
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Lending: Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,657 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
A GREAT GRITTY CRIME TALE February 9, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition
Those of you who keep track of my ramblings will remember that I really enjoyed Adam Pepper's take on an urban fantasy novel, The Symphony of Blood. Skin Games, sees Adam shifting genre into the more traditional gritty urban crime novel, full of New York gangsters, hoodlums and dames in need of help. The question is can Pepper make the transition from urban fantasy / horror to crime?

Thankfully, much of what I enjoyed about Pepper's previous novel is present in Skin Games as well. One of the strongest parts of Pepper's writing is a sense of identity and location. . A big problem with a lot of novels is when comes to a sense of setting, they are very vanilla, they lack a real sense of location. The characters and the locations of this novel live and breath New York. Skin Games is a novel set in New York filled with New York characters. When reading this book, you hear the characters speaking in a New York accent in your head, which helps to give the book a strong grounding in reality. The story is told through Sean "Shamrock" O'Donnell, a hard nosed, loyal, Irish American. And it is here that the strength of characterisation really kicks in and stops O'Donnell from becoming just another clichéd Irish New York punk.

But as everyone knows, you need a bit more than strong characters to make a story gripping and enjoyable. And this is something that Adam Pepper also knows. Skin Games gives you everything you would want in a crime thriller, and more. Love, betrayal, lots of violence, really nasty characters, all held together by a well written first person narrative, that keeps you turning the pages, just to see how far O'Donnell will go for love.

With Skin Games, Pepper has built on the solid foundations of his previous novel. This is a very good read that shows a talented author growing and honing his skill. Highly recommended.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Engrossing Mob Tale January 14, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition
After a couple of thugs burn her families' restaurant to the ground and kill two co-workers, Maria seeks revenge. She locates a mysterious man known as "Skin" but needs to be assured he's the right man for the job. Skin then tells Maria his life story, which takes up the majority of this engrossing mob tale from Adam Pepper.

Skin's real name is Sean 'Shamrock' O'Donnell, the son of a tough Irish father and an Italian mother. When his father leaves them, Sean becomes the man of the house and does whatever's necessary to help support his mother. The rough streets of the Bronx lead him to a life of crime, eventually getting him involved with the local gangsters.

Trouble starts at a mob party when bull-headed Sean becomes infatuated with Nicole, who happens to be the daughter of head crime boss Mario. They begin dating and quickly fall head-over-heels in love. Mario begins to send Sean out on set-up missions, hoping Sean will get the message to leave his daughter alone or be eliminated. But Sean proves too tough for his schemes.

SKIN GAMES is a study of friendship, love, and the power of true self-resolve. Pepper's realistic first-person narrative makes this a compulsive page-turner full of gritty-violence, seedy characters, and a satisfying conclusion that will leave you thirsting for more.

Similar to GOODFELLAS yet with its own voice, SKIN GAMES is a fine example of a self-published novel that's on par (or better) than anything in the crime/thriller genre coming from big house publishers. Mob fans DO NOT want to miss this.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
A Page Turner!!! January 26, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
"Skin Games", is an action packed book from beginning to end; I could not put this book down!!!
The writer "Adam Pepper" did a wonderful job in telling this story, which is a combination of a modern day Romeo, and Juliet (without the poison) and a mob story.
You will not be disappointed in getting this book, it is a great read!!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Brutal; provacative
started off rather slow but then I realized most of the book was going to be a flash-back. This was the the first book I've read of Adam Pepper, but I will read more.
Published 1 month ago by Bob Callaham
Amazing stoy
This story was so well written that at the very end I felt like I watched a movie that kept me on the edge of my seat. My kind of book.
Published 1 month ago by kakelady1
A Criminal Love Story
Skin Games by Adam Pepper is a gripping star-crossed love story set against the backdrop of crime novel. Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. F. Stewart
Good book
This was a very interesting book to read. I read a lot of fantasy books but this is a good book. It really caught my attention and kept me reading.
Published 2 months ago by TraciLynn
Power Struggle
Maria knows they well kill her if they find her. They have killed her brother and father, burned the family restaurant down and are now after her. Read more
Published 2 months ago by The Kindle Book Review
Well-told Tale
I picked up Pepper's novel and am glad I did. This story could be considered a memoir, except for the very beginning and a super ending. His skill with characters is top-shelf. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Robert Lee Carey, Jr.
Takes the mafia story to a whole new level
You think you know the story: good kid grows up on the rougher side of the tracks; a mafia henchman takes the kid under his wing, shows him the ropes. Same old, right? Read more
Published 2 months ago by Vered Ehsani
What a gripping and riveting book
Skin Games had me from the first few pages, I could not put it down. There was love, romance, suspense , codes of honor and for those who are not of weak stomach, gory violence. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jenn S
A gripping read with an adrenaline rush
Set in a rough neighbourhood in the Bronx, Skin Games is a world away from my own daily worries. I think that's one of the reasons why I enjoyed escaping into it: reading about... Read more
Published 3 months ago by TheBrontėSister
Hardcore Crime Drama
Title: Skin Games
Author: Adam Pepper
Publisher: Self Published
Published: January 2011
Genre: Crime Drama

Thugz, Drugz and hardcore Skin Games.. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Suzyn Michaels
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More About the Author

At times disturbing and grim, others raunchy and comical, Adam Pepper's work is known for a unique blend of horror, suspense and speculative fiction. MEMORIA, Adam's debut novel, reached #1 on the Dark Delicacies Best Seller list and received rave reviews from Cemetery Dance and Chronicle. "Super Fetus," his outrageous bizarro novella was called "In-your-face, allegorical social commentary" by esteemed reviewer, Paul Goat Allen. His quick-hitting short work has appeared in genre magazines including THE BEST OF HORRORFIND, Vol. 2 and SPACE AND TIME. Adam's non-fiction credits span from NEW WOMAN MAGAZINE to THE JOURNAL NEWS. Learn more about Adam at his website: www.AdamPepper.com.


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