Genre: Crime
Fiction
Description:
Donny and Big Rich work the streets for a living, turning tricks,
doing drugs in their spare time in an endless downward spiral. But Rich reckons
he has a meal ticket out in the form of Gabriel Thaxton, one of his clients.
He's a wealthy man and wouldn't want his secret to be out there.
The trouble is Thaxton's already being blackmailed...
Author:
Tom Pitts learnt about life on the mean streets of San Francisco where
he still lives, works and writes today.
You can learn more about the author at his website, or follow Mr.
Pitts on Facebook.
Appraisal:
My expectation was raised when I saw the introduction to Hustle was by Les Edgerton - that the
story would be of a certain type and quality. And I wasn't wrong. Hustle is a tightly written novel with a
straightforward, no nonsense plant, excellent cast of characters and a real
treat to read, surrounded by some testing subject matter.
Everything about this novel is neat. There are few characters and all
are very well drawn. Pitts managed to make me care about and like or hate the
whole cast. Donny and Big Rich are two kids who spend their time waiting for a
score, whether selling their bodies to a client or taking drugs. Donny is new
to the scene, Big Rich the more experienced hustler who teaches Donny the
ropes.
There's Thaxton, once a tough lawyer, able to get any criminal off any
charge - a legal version of Gordon Gecko - but now a shadow of his former self.
He's paid a very high price for his success. He's being blackmailed by one of
his ex-clients, a drug addict called Dustin. He's truly excellent, a lunatic of
the highest order. Dustin has something over Thaxton and is using it to his
advantage. And finally Bear, by name and nature, another of Thaxton's clients,
but one who's trying to help him. And that's pretty much it for the cast, with
another couple of ably supporting bodies.
Successive chapters flip between Donny and Rich, hatching their plan,
executing it, then realising it's not going to work as planned, cut in with
narrative on Bear or Thaxton. The conclusion is very well done. As I said, a
real treat.
FYI:
Violence, swearing and drug taking.
Added for
Reprise Review: Hustle by Tom Pitts was a nominee in the Crime
Fiction category for B&P 2015 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran April
2, 2014
Format/Typo
Issues:
Nothing worth mentioning.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: Keith Nixon
Approximate
word count: 70-75,000 words
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