Tales of Whiskey Tango from Misery Towers
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
The "Great American Novel" served St. Louis style!
Missouri Towers, once the swankiest address in St. Louis, but now tagged "Misery Towers," is a shabby apartment building blessed with breathtaking views of the iconic Gateway Arch. Amongst its eccentric dwellers is a trapeze artist whose love life is dangling from a wire, a struggling realtor who can never close a deal, a Bosnian immigrant who is infused with the spirit of Winston Churchill, an aging stripper who refuses to relinquish her grip on the pole, an undertaker on a mission of vengeance, a broken-hearted soul searching for his own pretty woman — one hooker at a time, a beat cop tired of dodging bullets, and a dogged collector of lucky pennies who picks up a cursed coin. On a hot and dangerous August night, against the backdrop of a city on edge, the interwoven lives of these characters will collide with devastating consequences.
By turns, hilarious, bawdy, tender, and tragic, Tales of Whiskey Tango from Misery Towers is a fast-paced, action-packed novel, filled with razor-sharp prose and cringe-worthy dark humor. It offers a unique insight into the psychological landscape of life in a Rust Belt city, plagued with violence and wrestling decline.
Finalist - Royal Palm Literary Awards
Longlisted - Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition
"Tales of Whiskey Tango from Misery Towers, a Carl Hiaasen-style novel, is a masterful blend of comic and tragic." - IndieReader
"Channeling the spirit of bawdy classics like North Dallas Forty, James Aylott marries soap operatic drama to provocative observances about American society." - Blueink Review
"A tale where grit and wit dance with dark humor among the desperate hunt of self-discovery."- Feathered Quill Book Reviews
"Atmospheric and firmly rooted in a sense of place and purpose, Tales of Whiskey Tango from Misery Towers captures the heart and soul of St. Louis." D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer - Midwest Book Review
"A tale where grit and wit dance with dark humor among the desperate hunt of self-discovery." - Feathered Quill Book Reviews
"Well written, and because of the clever combination of tragedy and humor, this story will stay with me for a very long time." - Readers' Favorite
"Gritty!" - The Big 550 KTRS
Customer Reviews
Excellent book!
5 stars all around. This book is fantastic!
The first chapter begins with an introduction (through vignettes) to the main characters. Then it takes the reader back to eight days before - to what led up to the first chapter.
Why is this book so good? It's a middle-class novel with beautifully described and highly relatable characters. They're all connected by proximity via Missouri Towers (Misery Towers), an apartment complex in St. Louis, Missouri. A few of them also work together as realtors. I loved that. When do you ever read a novel about real estate agents?
Another reason this book is so good is the writing. It's fabulous. The only flaw I can find with this book is that sometimes the writer (who is clearly well-read) goes a little overboard with extensive character descriptions. I had to stop and figure out the meaning. But I should add that whenever I did, I enjoyed having to stop and figure out what the author meant.
This is a middle-class book about middle-class people who are at different stages in their lives making middle-class decisions. So relatable and yet gorgeously written at the same time. I'm not exaggerating. You've got to read this book.
Why? Because of the characters. Because it's good. And because it's a fabulous depiction of American life, the ignored-by-mainstream-media middle class in not just middle America. It's also a fabulous depiction of a once-great American city that you'll probably want to visit as well as begin to fear as a result of reading this novel. So. So. Good