Blue Collar Boston Cool
Schraft Street Shenanigans
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2.9 • 8 Ratings
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
Lately, the lively, often unruly, and occasionally dangerous Schraft Street in Boston has become Jim Herlihys entire world. As he struggles to eke a meager existence from the small assets he ownsa neighborhood gym, local sports bar, and a renovated old three-decker his challenges are compounded because the love of his life is in love with someone else, and his troubled young tenant, stripper Amy Jordan, for whom he has developed a powerful brotherly affection, is in love with him.
After a few contentious run-ins with notorious local gangster Hoary Harry Annunziowho seriously worries Jim when he drunkenly threatens to rape little Amyhis friend and local cop Carlton Carrollton jokingly suggests Jim consider a preemptive strike against Harry. And then when Harry is unexpectedly found brutally beaten to death, the cops and especially two rival gangsters very seriously want to know who did it. Wild rumors are circulating in this suddenly dangerous, self-contained little world, and Jim finds himself a suspect, despite his reputation as a sane, hardworking, and normally very good-natured businessman. Somethings gotta giveand the inside neighborhood dope does include that Jim Herlihy can be a very tough customer when absolutely necessary.
In this entertaining murder mystery, a gritty Boston neighborhood and its hardcore boss are thrust in the midst of madness as a killer waits to strike again.
Customer Reviews
Blue Collar Boston Blue
A really GOOD book (certainly not this one) is one in which most readers can find some relevance, something to relate to in their own lives, or those around them.
This book has basically NONE of those elements! It drags along with the lives of sex & violence & low-life pursuit of alcohol, weight-lifting, and pointless inhumane meaninglessness.
Tough going
Full disclaimer, i downloaded this book thinking it was a Michael Connelly book not realizing it was a different author. Still being someone that lives in Boston the trailer looked interesting and i gave it a try.
However i found this book tough going and at times a tedious read. The basic setup is revolves around a guy who runs a Gym, bar and restaurant and rents out two apartments in his triple decker to cops (one floor) and strippers (another floor) but the focal point is the gym and how many bench presses, squats can be done and who is using 'roids. I suppose if you are a hard core body builder who works out every day like the protagonist Mike does, perhaps you would appreciate the the level of intricate details about gym life, workout details, number of repetitions with 225 lbs benchpress etc.
The language style used by the author for the characters- i've lived in multiple areas of boston over 25 years (Cambridge, Brighton, Malden, Somerville) and have never come close to hearing anything resembling this. Felt I was reading some serious dialect from backwoods of Maine or Louisiana.
I really tried to enjoy this book but it moved so slowly through the what passes for the plot, it could have been accomplished in 100 pages less. I do not recommend spending the money on this.