Introduction by Charlie Stella
Amici:
The first time I read Dana King’s
work, I thought the publishing world was fast asleep. It wasn’t the work of
some untested wannabe. Quite frankly, it was brilliant writing. I had the
pleasure of reading one of his early drafts to Grind Joint, and I couldn’t have been more impressed. It was more
than obvious this guy had slipped through the publishing cracks. I distinctly
remember turning to my wife while reading in bed and saying, “This guys is
terrific... Jesus Christ, this is good... how is this guy not published?”
Flash forward a year or two and I’m
still in disbelief that this guy hasn’t found a publisher. Enter Ed Gorman, a
guy who can’t do enough for others. Ed did me the favor of handing Johnny Porno to Greg Shepard a few years
earlier, and a new relationship was born. I’ve never been happier with a
publisher. Mutual respect, amici, is a beautiful thing. Ed convinced Greg to
open the door to original publications and now Stark House Press has a true
gem—Grind Joint, by Dana King.
Forget the industry mantra about
mob fiction being dead. That’s just bullshit. Sometimes it takes a while to
find the right set of eyes to bring a project to fruition, but over time great
writing will not be denied.
Dana King’s debut, Grind Joint, is wall to wall great
writing—fact.
No need to shock with gore and
senseless brutality, or rapes or brutal murders, as way too many in the world
of noir seem to depend on for shock
value. Dana King does it the old fashioned way, with writing so good it reads
like a documentary; narrative that sparkles, and dialogue as good as any in the
game. My favorite mob fiction writers ultimately make a novel read like a
documentary, and from the very first paragraph of Grind Joint, I’m hooked as if I’m watching it unfold on a 60”
television screen.
The building
used to be a mini-mall. Penney’s on one end, Monkey Ward’s on the other, with a
handful of little local shops in between. Nail salon, barber, wing joint,
liquor store. They closed years ago, boarded up the windows. The Blockbuster in
an outbuilding went tits up last summer. The toy store next door saw half a
dozen re-inventions before it managed to scrape by as one of those operations
where everything was five bucks or less. That and the bank were all that were
left. Kenny Czarniak would have thought it ironic, how only the bank and the
discount store survived amid the shells of failure, but any sense of irony had
left him long ago.
In that paragraph I not only see
what is being described, I can hear Morgan Freeman providing the voiceover. And
is there any doubt about the setting? It’s all there in one neat and tidy
paragraph—a town down on its luck, one that is ripe for the picking.
And if you’re unsure of the title, Grind Joint, the author’s clever dialogue
makes it easy.
... The bartender came by. Nick asked what was
available in bottles and ordered another draft. “What’s up with this casino
bullshit? Are they serious?”
“Oh, yeah. Not only will it make the owners rich,
everyone in town is going to get well. Be the new Atlantic City.”
“AC’s a dump.”
“Then we have a head start.”
Nick thanked the bartender for his fresh beer.
“Seriously. That casino in Pittsburgh is supposed to be really nice.”
“You ever hear of a casino that wasn’t supposed to
be really nice?”
“Point taken, but it’s no grind joint, not with the
kind of money they put into it and who’s behind it. I drove by this place
yesterday. It looks like an old Sears.”
“Uh-uh. Monkey Ward’s and Penney’s.”
“Even better. I’m not knocking Sears. I buy a lot of
stuff there. It’s not my first choice of venue for an upscale entertainment
experience.”
“That’s where your big city uppity-ness loses touch
with the real world. They’re not looking for an upscale experience. This is a
grind joint, pure and simple.”
“A casino for the working man.”
Doc flashed to Kenny Czarniak, getting up at four AM
to turn on the heat for people who actually did things. “Just what the working
man needs.”
A casino in Penns River is the
start of trouble for local law enforcement. Russian mobsters and gangbangers,
and what’s left of the Pittsburgh Italian mob are fighting over turf. Local
politicians and a real estate mogul also have an interest. And then there’s
infighting among the cops. Mostly there’s Ben “Doc” Dougherty, the man readers
will take a quick liking to and stay with throughout this wonderful novel. Doc
looks out for his friends, as well as the poor schmucks just trying to make it
day-to-day. When all is said and done, you’ll love Doc, and you’ll look forward
to more of him in the future.
Mob fiction is dead? Really? Me
thinks the rumors of its death have been greatly exaggerated. The addition of
Dana King to this particular niche in the literary world is a wonderful breath
of fresh air all readers of fine writing will appreciate. For me there’s simply
nobody writing better mob fiction in the industry today, and that includes the
master, Elmore Leonard.
Dana King’s Grind Joint does for mob fiction what prohibition did for organized
crime—it provides the juice for it to flourish in a world consumed with special
effects and cartoons; graphic novels and journalists turned private
investigators turned vigilante killers. Grind
Joint is a touch of reality in a world dizzy with a glitz de jour.
A huge hat tip to Stark House Press
for recognizing Dana’s writing, for putting him in print, something long
overdue for someone this good. The
premier publisher of classic crime novels in the industry today has gone rogue
yet again, publishing another original crime novel, Dana King’s Grind Joint, and we the readers are very
grateful beneficiaries.
Listen
to me: Dana King is already one of the great ones.
—Charlie Stella
2013
Dana King has worked as a musician, public school teacher, adult trainer, and information systems analyst. His short story, "Green Gables," was published in the anthology Blood, Guts, and Whiskey, edited by Todd Robinson. Other short fiction has appeared in New Mystery Reader, A Twist of Noir, Mysterical-E, and Powder Burn Flash. Dana's first two novels, Wild Bill and Worst Enemies have received praise from authors such as Charlie Stella, Timothy Hallinan, Adrian McKinty, and Leighton Gage. The author lives in Laurel, Maryland.
Dana King has worked as a musician, public school teacher, adult trainer, and information systems analyst. His short story, "Green Gables," was published in the anthology Blood, Guts, and Whiskey, edited by Todd Robinson. Other short fiction has appeared in New Mystery Reader, A Twist of Noir, Mysterical-E, and Powder Burn Flash. Dana's first two novels, Wild Bill and Worst Enemies have received praise from authors such as Charlie Stella, Timothy Hallinan, Adrian McKinty, and Leighton Gage. The author lives in Laurel, Maryland.
- Grind Joint
- 978-1-933586-52-6
- A brand new Mafia crime thriller by the author of Wild Bill and Worst Enemies, both of which received profuse praise from authors like Charlie Stella, Timothy Hallinan, Adrian McKinty and Leighton Gage, plus a lot of great online reviews. As Charlie Stella says in his introduction, Grind Joint does for Mob fiction what prohibition did for organized crime. Due in November 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment