{"product_id":"gutshot-straight-a-novel-isbn-9780061766046","title":"Gutshot Straight: A Novel","description":"\u003cp style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"FONT-SIZE: 10pt\"\u003e“Lou Berney’s novel is so energetic, so droll, and so wheezingly funny that it accomplished what no book ever has before: it made me forget to eat lunch.”\u003cbr\u003e—Stephen Harrigan, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eChallenger Park\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA fast and funny caper in the tradition of Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen, and the Coen Brothers, \u003cem\u003eGutshot Straight \u003c\/em\u003ebrings a fresh new talent into the crime fiction fold: Louis Berney. He’s already won raves for his short fiction collection \u003cem\u003eThe Road to Bobby Joe and Other Stories \u003c\/em\u003e(“Rivals the work of contemporary hotshots T.C. Boyle and Ralph Lombreglia” —\u003cem\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/em\u003e). With \u003cem\u003eGutshot Straight, \u003c\/em\u003eBerney is “all in”—sure to win a fervent following with the story of “Shake” Bouchon, fresh out of prison and on the straight and narrow path…after maybe just \u003cem\u003eone\u003c\/em\u003e last job.\u003c?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = \"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office\" \/\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c\/o:p\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003eA crime caper in the tradition of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen, this fast and funny debut is the story of \"Shake\" Bouchon, fresh out of prison and ready for life on the straight and narrow—well, maybe after *one* last job. . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Charles \"Shake\" Bouchon, professional wheel man, walks out of prison after a three-year stretch for grand theft auto, he's got only two problems: he's too nice a guy for the life he's led and not nice enough for any other.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo he says yes when he's asked to run a simple errand for his former boss and lover, Alexandra Ilandryan, the formidable \u003cem\u003epakhan\u003c\/em\u003e of the Armenian mob in Los Angeles. All Shake has to do is deliver a package to Las Vegas and pick up a briefcase.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOnly the package turns out to be a wholesome young housewife named Gina whose husband has run afoul of Dick Moby, aka \"The Whale,\" an unpleasant four-hundred-pound Vegas strip-club owner. Shake hates to think what's going to happen to Gina when he delivers her to The Whale, so in a move that's as noble as it is boneheaded, he decides to set her free.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow Shake and Gina are on the run to Panama, hoping to unload the very valuable—and highly unusual—contents of The Whale's briefcase. Shake could end up a rich man, but first he'll have to outmaneuver two angry crime bosses, a murderous Armenian thug plagued by erectile superfunction, a former pro football player who blames Shake for his romantic woes, and a billionaire swindler with a flair for the theatrical. Not to mention, and not the least, Shake will need to survive his own heart, since he's going to discover that wholesome housewife Gina is even more intriguing, and a lot more complicated, than he ever imagined.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull of blindsided double-crosses and hard shots to the head, \u003cem\u003eGutshot Straight\u003c\/em\u003e is a tale of love, luck, and larceny against the odds.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Louis Berney is a talented writer whose first collection of stories . . . offers a range of voices and a detailed knowledge of cultures amazing in one so young. . . . Berney . . .  is a subtle, amusing storyteller, tied with bonds of affection and woe to his characters. . . . He tells a story as though he’s really there, really interested in what he’s finding out.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Orleans Times-Picayune, on THE ROAD TO BOBBY JOE AND OTHER STORIES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Full of intriguing characters and violent action.... Highly entertaining, the serpentine novel has unexpected twists and turns. Berney, a talented and experienced author, has crafted one of the most unusual and enjoyable crime novels of the year.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLansing State Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A fast-paced, sexy novel, packed with spine-tingling intrigue and money-induced lust...Excellent.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTimes Record News (Wichita Falls, Texas)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Virtually every character is memorable, and the chemistry between Shake and Gina is brilliant. The plot turns are constant, and the dialogue is sharp. The bad guys are wonderfully scary, and the locales are vividly drawn. Elmore Leonard might be very pleased to call Gutshot Straight his own.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Gutshot Straight has my vote for, among other things, Best McGuffin Ever. Just when you think it can’t get any weirder or quirkier, here comes the scene where... well, I better not give that away.  Energetic, droll, and wheezingly funny.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eStephen Harrigan, New York Times bestselling author of Gates of the Alamo and Challenger Park\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fast, funny and smart.... The snappy dialogue and bad-guy stuff whizzes along and will be welcomed by Elmore Leonard fans. Grade: A-.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCleveland Plain Dealer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Awesome debut novel by Lou Berney, everyone needs to read this book. Look for it later this year on awards nomination lists.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCrimespree Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“GUTSHOT STRAIGHT has my vote for, among other things, Best McGuffin Ever. Just when you think it can’t get any weirder or quirkier, here comes the scene where... well, I better not give that away.  Energetic, droll, and wheezingly funny.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eStephen Harrigan, New York Times bestselling author of Gates of the Alamo and Challenger Park\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An exciting read you can’t put down. A definite must read.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAbraham Rodriguez, 2009 Dashiell Hammett Award finalist and author of South by South Bronx\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A literary sucker punch -- surprising, funny, effervescent.  It’s a cocktail that won’t let you off your barstool till closing.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTed Griffin, screenwriter of OCEAN'S ELEVEN, MATCHSTICK MEN and BEST LAID PLANS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Virtually every character is memorable, and the chemistry between Shake and Gina is brilliant. The plot turns are constant, and the dialogue is sharp. The bad guys are wonderfully scary, and the locales are vividly drawn. Elmore Leonard might be very pleased to call GUTSHOT STRAIGHT his own.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] fast-moving caper…smoothly blends humor, action and romantic frisson.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[Has] a fast-paced style apropos of [Berney’s] title character Charles “Shakes” Bouchon.... With comparisons to Elmore Leonard, it’s apparent Berney is not simply riding out the success of his acclaimed short The Road to Bobby Joe and Other Stories.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Beast\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Morrow","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48588006064357,"sku":"NP9780061766046","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780061766046.jpg?v=1773960309","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/gutshot-straight-a-novel-isbn-9780061766046","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}