Witness For The Dead [Mass Market Paperback]

Michael Fredrickson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 19, 2002

Prosecutor Danielle Gautreau, she’s beautiful, she’s brilliant, and her career goal is to skin Boston Italian mob boss and vicious loan shark Larry “the Rabbit” Coniglio. When Arthur Patch borrows money from the Rabbit, Danielle sees Arthur as the witness she needs to bring Larry down, threatening to hold Arthur until he testifies.

With his new lawyer, Jimmy Morrissey, Arthur cuts a deal with the Feds. He threatens to make public that a fugitive gangster, Tommy Crimmins, the head of the Boston Irish mob, is in cahoots with the FBI in their quest to break up the Italian Mafia.

Morrissey slips the story to the press, and the resulting publicity is so blistering that the FBI is shamed into offering a huge reward for Tommy's capture. Tommy and his girlfriend, Mavis Riley, are on the lam--with the Feds, the Mafia, Danielle, Arthur, and Jimmy all on Tommy's trail looking for blood and money. The only way to track him down is to trick Mavis into revealing their whereabouts. But, if she falls for the trick, who will get there first, and who, if anybody, will survive the collision?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A fugitive Irish mobster, an Italian Mafia boss and a cash-strapped restaurateur are among the many crooked characters in this savvy legal thriller exposing Boston's corrupt underbelly. Fredrickson's follow-up to his stellar debut (The Cinderella Affidavit) begins when the FBI subpoenas restaurant owner Arthur Patch to testify against Italian gangster Larry the Rabbit on charges of loan sharking. The Mafia has made it clear that Arthur's testimony against Larry would probably be the last words he ever speaks, but luckily, Arthur has secret knowledge that enables him to bargain with the Feds. With the help of his lawyer, Jimmy Morrissey, Arthur cuts a deal he agrees to remain silent about the collaboration between fugitive Irish mob boss Tommy Crimmins and the FBI, and in return the subpoena is thrown out. Morrissey, a down-on-his-luck guy, is in legal trouble himself, but the reporter on his trail agrees to kill a story about financial misdoings if Morrissey leaks the information about Tommy's link to the FBI. A media frenzy results and to support their denial of any wrongdoing, the FBI posts a handsome reward for Tommy's capture, prompting Arthur, Morrissey and former federal prosecutor Danielle Gautreau to join forces as bounty hunters. A clever, suspenseful and funny pursuit ensues until the final showdown between the Feds, the mob and Tommy ends with a bang. This one is a polished thriller with a multilayered plot and vivid characters, the whole package a winner. Agent, Sam Pinkus. (June)Forecast: This thriller distinguishes itself from the competition with its comic touch and clean styling. Fredrickson is clearly on his way up, and advertising in national media and legal publications will help build his readership.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Fredrickson's second novel, following his stunning debut, A Cinderella Affidavit (1999), features the Irish mob ratting out the Italian mob, cops spying on feds, lawyers leaking confidential client information--all sorts of shenanigans sure to keep the reader guessing. Arthur Patch, a Boston restaurateur, has a choice: either testify against a notorious loan shark or face arrest himself. Either way, he doesn't have the means to pay the thug back, so maybe it's best to have the government on his side. With the help of his cunning attorney, Patch conjures up a plan that would give him complete immunity: become a state's witness and threaten to divulge that the feds turned a blind eye to fugitive Irish gangster Tommy Crimmins, who continued operating his nefarious business after he snitched on his Italian colleagues. A cat-and-mouse chase ensues, where the chaser and the chased are intricately intertwined. Once you sort out all the characters, this based-on-a-true-story thriller packs a powerful punch. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (May 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812565282
• ISBN-13: 978-0812565287
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,739,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth it!!!, June 2, 2003

By 

LJ (South Carolina United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witness for the Dead (Hardcover)

This book is boring I did not like it even a little.. I would not and could not recommend it....I believe two words can wrap this book up tiresome & slow............

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is my first Amazon review, April 27, 2001

By 

Stephen Schaffran (Richmond, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witness for the Dead (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book! Fredrickson pioneers a new genre of fiction- a combination of super crime novel and a guide to regional cusine, Sicilian, in this case.

You can't think of this book without a reference to food, so I'd say it's like great meal with great company.

The plot moves with balance and rhythm from course to course, never hurried, never dawdling. Fredrickson is as unusual a prose stylist as he is a plot designer and so the words themselves provide rich spectrum of textures, tastes, and humorous surprises.

As for company, the key characters are literally unforgettable. Each is an interesting individual, yet recognizable as a participant in the rich anthropological stew that is modern Boston.

You won't want to put it down, but you won't want it to end.

Two final notes. One, this novel is a fictional treatment organized around a true story of FBI complicity in murder. Two, if you care about rescuing greyhounds, Fredrickson's Mavis is your Joan of Arc.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars sicilian steeplechase, July 10, 2001

By 

"donatdeux" (maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witness for the Dead (Hardcover)

raconteur's narrative style, epicure's pacing. more of a cyber bounty hunt, than a legal thriller. author's joy for language is apparent.