Tough Luck [Paperback]

Jason Starr (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Random House Inc (December 1, 2002)
• ASIN: B001IDDBMM
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,890,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

JASON STARR is the international bestselling author of many novels, including THE PACK which is out in hardcover and e-book from Berkley/Ace on June 7, 2011. Starr's other novels are COLD CALLER, NOTHING PERSONAL, FAKE I.D., HARD FEELINGS, TOUGH LUCK, TWISTED CITY, LIGHTS OUT, THE FOLLOWER and PANIC ATTACK. He has won the Anthony Award and the Barry Award and his books are published in more than a dozen languages. He has also co-written three novels with Ken Bruen--BUST, SLIDE, and THE MAX--and edited BLOODLINES, an anthology of horse racing stories for Vintage Books. He lives in Manhattan and is currently writing the sequel to THE PACK.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Coming of age in Noir-land, January 27, 2003

By 

J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tough Luck (Paperback)

Poor Mickey Prada is an 18-year-old shlemiel without a clue. He's just graduated from high school, has no idea what he wants to do with his life. He works at a fish market, is more or less supporting his father who has had strokes and has dementia. He primarily hangs out with his buddies, bowling, betting a little on football, striking out with girls.

And then a guy named Angelo comes into the store to buy some shrimp, complains that his bookie is out of town. Mickey agrees to place a bet for him, Angelo's team loses and he demands a chance to make his money back by placing another bet, Mickey is too frightened to refuse, and . . . well, you get the idea. The kid's life is now careering out of control and we're led into a noirish, frenetic, and, thanks to Starr's skill, funny rush that ends . . . well . . . Read the book!

It's all skilfully done, a nice follow-up to Starr's previous 'Cold Caller.'

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Want a look at unknown Brooklyn?, March 15, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tough Luck (Paperback)

Never read anything by this guy before this, but I sure will now! Wow! A master of concise character development, Starr has put together one gem of a fast reading look at the life of a young man trapped in his life in Brooklyn. You can only hang on for the ride as Mickey Prada makes one poor decision after another and watches his life go down the toilet. A likable enough guy, Mickey is not too bright. His inability to size up the situations in which he finds himself leads to the destruction of the limited life he knows. Crisp clipped dialogue and scenes rife with local color and characters give this short novel a stunning vibrancy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy successor to Jim Thompson, March 14, 2004

By 

D. Ross "http://directorblue.blogspot.com" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tough Luck (Paperback)

The greats of noir fiction had a way of putting you inside the heads of the disenfranchised, the losers, even stone-cold, psychopathic killers. And the most skillful among them -- say, a Jim Thompson -- had the reader gradually empathasizing with these outcasts. Jason Starr can stand toe to toe with any of these authors. His _Tough Luck_ is an expertly written story.

Mickey Prada is a poor kid trying to make good. Working in a fish market while saving for college, he also takes care of his Alzheimer's-ridden Dad. Things are going pretty well for Mickey until a slick-looking mobster walks into the fish shop. Angelo Santoro starts talking football and betting with Mickey. Before long, Mickey's placing 'good faith' bets for Angelo. And Angelo keeps losing. Now Mickey's in the hole to his bookie and Angelo won't make good on his debt.

In order to get out of hock, his lifelong friend Chris proposes a house burglary with a few of their buddies. It'll be easy money, what with the homeowners on vacation. And Mickey will surely be able to pay off the bookie and maybe pick up some nice trinkets for his new girlfriend. It all sounds so simple. But nothing goes quite as you might expect -- and none of the well-drawn characters will ever be the same after _this_ caper.

Starr writes with exquisite attention to detail. The jargon of the early eighties... the fashion... the culture... all are snapshots wrapped around the realistic foibles of each character. I'll definitely be picking up the rest of Starr's books. It's easily some of the best noir fiction going.