Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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BadFellas

Murder Machine by Gene Mustain & Jerry Capeci

October 25, 2020 by Jake Leave a Comment

Kind of wonder what could have been if Martin Scorsese had gotten his hands on this book before Nicholas Pileggi’s Wiseguy. This is Goodfellas, only if the murder montage was like half the movie. I knew the name Roy DeMeo and that he was the head of perhaps the most murderous crew in Mafia history but I didn’t know exactly what is story was or how it operated. On a bit of a mob kick, I finally picked this one up. It’s a brutal tale and both writers […]

Filed Under: Non-Fiction Tagged With: Brooklyn, Gene Mustain & Jerry Capeci, mafia, Mob, Murder Machine, New York City, Roy DeMeo, true crime

Jake's CBR12 Review No:161 · Genres: Non-Fiction · Tags: Brooklyn, Gene Mustain & Jerry Capeci, mafia, Mob, Murder Machine, New York City, Roy DeMeo, true crime ·
Rating:
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Babylon Brooklyn

A Brotherhood Betrayed: The Man Behind the Rise and Fall of Murder, Inc. by Michael Cannell

October 22, 2020 by Jake Leave a Comment

Look, I am very simple. I like mob books, especially but not limited to ones set in New York City. If you write a good mob tale, fiction or non-fiction, I’ll devour it and give you your credit. So that’s what I’m here to do with this one. I’ve been curious about the Abe Reles story ever since reading Kevin Baker’s flat, unoriginal The Big Crowd. His ghost seemed to loom over everything mob and politic related in New York for decades. The head of the mob’s […]

Filed Under: Non-Fiction Tagged With: A Brotherhood Betrayed, Abe Reles, Brooklyn, Brownsville, mafia, Michael Cannell, Mob, New York City

Jake's CBR12 Review No:159 · Genres: Non-Fiction · Tags: A Brotherhood Betrayed, Abe Reles, Brooklyn, Brownsville, mafia, Michael Cannell, Mob, New York City ·
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Bushwick-ed

The Nightworkers by Brian Selfon

October 19, 2020 by Jake Leave a Comment

I was really impressed with large parts of first time writer Brian Selfon’s The Nightworkers. His characterization was of the highest quality. I found myself intrigued with most of the individual plot lines. His descriptions of Bushwick, a neighborhood I’m only somewhat familiar with, made it come to life. I always enjoy a good New York City crime tale set outside of Manhattan, if done right (thinking in this moment of William Boyle and Maggie Estep). And his use of dialogue, no doubt stemming from his days […]

Filed Under: Suspense Tagged With: Brian Selfon, Brooklyn, Bushwick, crime, New York City, The Nightworkers

Jake's CBR12 Review No:158 · Genres: Suspense · Tags: Brian Selfon, Brooklyn, Bushwick, crime, New York City, The Nightworkers ·
Rating:
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Suspense Is Killing

Hipster Death Rattle by Richie Narvaez

A Touch of Death by Charles Williams

September 25, 2020 by Jake Leave a Comment

I finished two different crime novels over the last couple of days, one written by a  novice, the other by a legend, both really good in their own respective ways. Hipster Death Rattle I’ve become more familiar with north Brooklyn the last couple of months and boy, does Richie Narvaez know ever corner and haunt. A delightful skewering of hipster culture set right in the middle of Williamsburg, Gentrification’s Ground Zero, the book is as much a satire as it is a mystery. Some of […]

Filed Under: Mystery, Suspense Tagged With: A Touch of Death, Brooklyn, Charles Williams, Hipster Death Rattle, mystery, Noir, Richie Narvaez

Jake's CBR12 Review No:150 · Genres: Mystery, Suspense · Tags: A Touch of Death, Brooklyn, Charles Williams, Hipster Death Rattle, mystery, Noir, Richie Narvaez ·
Rating:
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Thrills and Chills

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

September 16, 2020 by Jake 2 Comments

This is one I was eager to get my hands on given the premise and the reviews. It didn’t disappoint, being one of the best books I read this year and, along with Long Bright River, one of the best new releases of 2020. This book is so many things but at the heart, it’s really a tale of suspense. A lot obviously depends on your perspective (I’m a cishet white guy) but Cole is excellent at blending the existential dread of the Black experience in […]

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery, Suspense Tagged With: Alyssa Cole, Brooklyn, horror, mystery, New York City, Racism, thriller, When No One is Watching

Jake's CBR12 Review No:144 · Genres: Horror, Mystery, Suspense · Tags: Alyssa Cole, Brooklyn, horror, mystery, New York City, Racism, thriller, When No One is Watching ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments

cbr12bingo – Music!

Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011 by Lizzy Goodman

July 9, 2020 by andtheIToldYouSos Leave a Comment

The House of Jealous Lovers! Yes, it’s an excellent track by The Rapture. It could also be the title of this oral history (the actual title, Meet Me in the Bathroom, is a song by another prominently featured band, but we’ll get to that). This collection covers the movers, shakers, and hangers-on of NYC’s rock “revival” in the early hours of the 21st century- and man oh man are they a petty, catty, and jealous bunch! The “speakers” of this history are a collection of musicians, […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Biography/Memoir, Non-Fiction Tagged With: "when I was your age", 9/11, Brooklyn, cbr12bingo, dotcom bubble, Drug Abuse, garage rock revival, gentrification, giuliani's NY, hipsters, Interpol, James Murphy, Jonathan Fire Eater, Kings of Leon, LCD Soundsystem, Lizzy Goodman, Manhattan, Moby, music, music industry, music snobs, New York City, oral history, partying, post-punk, rock critics, Ryan Adams, The Rapture, The Strokes, vampire weekend, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

andtheIToldYouSos's CBR12 Review No:73 · Genres: Audiobooks, Biography/Memoir, Non-Fiction · Tags: "when I was your age", 9/11, Brooklyn, cbr12bingo, dotcom bubble, Drug Abuse, garage rock revival, gentrification, giuliani's NY, hipsters, Interpol, James Murphy, Jonathan Fire Eater, Kings of Leon, LCD Soundsystem, Lizzy Goodman, Manhattan, Moby, music, music industry, music snobs, New York City, oral history, partying, post-punk, rock critics, Ryan Adams, The Rapture, The Strokes, vampire weekend, Yeah Yeah Yeahs ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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