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The Shyster's Daughter
"In her gripping, big-hearted, and sometimes harrowing memoir, Paula Priamos searches for meaning in the life--and mysterious death--of her beloved, larger-than-life father. Along the way, Priamos proves herself to be not only a keen observer of the ways we love and bear loss, but also a first-rate storyteller. The Shyster's Daughter will be with me for a long time." --Will Allison, author of the New York Times Bestseller Long Drive Home and What You Have Left .
The last time my father calls is shortly before the anniversary of his disbarment to tell me he's just cheated death. On his end, there's background noise--a restaurant, a bar or somewhere far sleazier. Since the divorce he licks his wounds at a topless strip club in Garden Grove called the Kat Nip.
The mysterious death of a high-profile defense lawyer propels his daughter into an investigation of the shady deals and characters that led to his disbarment. This searing detective noir memoir paints a vivid portrait of a Greek American family caught up in the scandal-obsessed, drug-addicted culture of California in the closing decades of the twentieth century.
Paula Priamos ' writing has been featured in various magazines and in the anthology Naming the And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer . She teaches at California State University and lives in Southern California with her husband and stepsons. This is her first book.
The last time my father calls is shortly before the anniversary of his disbarment to tell me he's just cheated death. On his end, there's background noise--a restaurant, a bar or somewhere far sleazier. Since the divorce he licks his wounds at a topless strip club in Garden Grove called the Kat Nip.
The mysterious death of a high-profile defense lawyer propels his daughter into an investigation of the shady deals and characters that led to his disbarment. This searing detective noir memoir paints a vivid portrait of a Greek American family caught up in the scandal-obsessed, drug-addicted culture of California in the closing decades of the twentieth century.
Paula Priamos ' writing has been featured in various magazines and in the anthology Naming the And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer . She teaches at California State University and lives in Southern California with her husband and stepsons. This is her first book.
- GenresMemoir
260 pages, Paperback
First published July 3, 2012
35 people want to read
About the author
Paula Priamos
5 books31 followersAppraise Her is coming out in April 2022. Kirkus Reviews calls it "A twisty and often riveting thriller."
Inside V is the 2017 Gold Foreword Indie Winner for Best Thriller & Suspense.
Inside V is the 2017 Gold Foreword Indie Winner for Best Thriller & Suspense.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 11, 2012
A powerful, well written memoir largely about a young woman growing up with her larger-than-life criminal attorney father in L.A. I may be just slightly biased since Paula is my wife - also, in terms of memoir, what goes around, comes around, as they say - but regardless of bias, if distancing myself is possible, and I believe it is to some extent, this is a really strong book.
February 2, 2013
The Shyster's Daughter breaks the rules of memoir. It's not confessional. It's not a victim's story. It fuses the techniques of noir fiction i.e. suspense with the tale of a daughter investigating her father's mysterious death. It might be a little too clever for some people who read romance novels or get off on being spoon fed information. Using sections titled "What They Told Me After He Died," the author invites you to participate in coming up with your own conclusions as to what must've happened. I loved it.
January 5, 2013
Having read many memoirs over the past few years, I was not especially intrigued by The Shyster's Daughter. The story has its uniqueness, as each memoir does, but I felt the story was a little mundane at times and I found myself skimming the pages. I was also a little distracted by the grammatical errors in the book.
Having said that, the author did a great job immersing the reader into her Greek culture, and the way the culture reflected in the behavior of her parents, grandparents, and extended family.
The author’s family definitely had its share of shadiness and troubles and I thought the title quite appropriate for the book. I thought it admirable that the author was so candid about her father’s shady business deals, something most of us might be tempted to hide from the world. The author also showed great courage in confronting the sexual abuse as well as her own craziness in stalking her father’s girlfriend. The fine line between loyalty to self and loyalty to children was crossed many times in the author’s life and her story reflects this.
From the book: “The final lesson he (father) would teach the daughter who stood by him after the break-up of the family is perhaps one of the most important he ever taught me. It’s not so much that he didn’t want me to completely love Jim and start our own family, but rather that I remember to fulfill my dreams and goals along the way.”
Having said that, the author did a great job immersing the reader into her Greek culture, and the way the culture reflected in the behavior of her parents, grandparents, and extended family.
The author’s family definitely had its share of shadiness and troubles and I thought the title quite appropriate for the book. I thought it admirable that the author was so candid about her father’s shady business deals, something most of us might be tempted to hide from the world. The author also showed great courage in confronting the sexual abuse as well as her own craziness in stalking her father’s girlfriend. The fine line between loyalty to self and loyalty to children was crossed many times in the author’s life and her story reflects this.
From the book: “The final lesson he (father) would teach the daughter who stood by him after the break-up of the family is perhaps one of the most important he ever taught me. It’s not so much that he didn’t want me to completely love Jim and start our own family, but rather that I remember to fulfill my dreams and goals along the way.”
July 12, 2012
There's that saying that everyone has a book in them, they just need to write it. And that might be true, but the reality is that not everyone is observant of all the details, emotions, and nuances that are a huge part of the memoir. It's not enough to say this shit happened on this date and now you, the reader, know it too. The author has to remember why it mattered to them, what they were feeling, how it affected them and others. They have to expose the horrid truths, bare their intimate fears, and ultimately let the reader in where normal people wouldn't allow them access. And if done right it isn't pretty, doesn’t make the author look good, and draws you in so intently that you sit down with an hour to kill and end up reading until you finish the entire book. At least that was my experience with Paula Priamos' The Shyster's Daughter. Well crafted, intense, a page turner. Priamos weaves poignant moments of her life into a powerful timeline. She gives you total access to her family, her fears, her relationships, and emotions. The Shyster's Daughter is one of the best memoirs I have read in a very long time.
December 20, 2015
Think the legal system in the U.S is all about justice and ethics? This two-fisted book shows how decisions are struck on the golf course or at the poker table more often than in the courtroom. It definitely is who-you-know, and money talks!
July 18, 2012
For the first fifty pages or so of this superbly written memoir, I had to keep reminding myself that it was indeed that--a memoir, a personal account of what Priamos experienced in her own life. I don't want to say it reads like a novel because you'll get the wrong impression. It reads like the story of someone whose life, if fictionalized, holds enough material for several novels. But what makes this memoir exemplary is the fact that Priamos does not fictionalize or sensationalize or embellish. She does not fancify or sugar-coat. Her unrelenting and unapologetic candor offered with a writing style characterized by precision and an economy of words is enough to raise the hair on your arms and have you exclaiming "oh my god" aloud every few pages as she stoically leads us through life with her father, her family, and her emergence into the messiness of adulthood.
As a memoirist, I read a great deal of the work of others, partly to appreciate how others tell their tales, mostly because I believe that everyone has a story. But not everyone has the skill and craftsmanship that Priamos exhibits here as she renders the most appalling moments of her childhood and adolescence with a journalist's degree of pure honesty and objectivity, allowing no room for sentimentality.
I loved this book. I stayed up late on two consecutive nights, turning page after page, knowing her words would find their way into my dreams to stir up my own bleak childhood memories, but I was helpless to put the book down. Kudos to Priamos for having the courage to give us the gift of this book. An amazing and wonderful read.
As a memoirist, I read a great deal of the work of others, partly to appreciate how others tell their tales, mostly because I believe that everyone has a story. But not everyone has the skill and craftsmanship that Priamos exhibits here as she renders the most appalling moments of her childhood and adolescence with a journalist's degree of pure honesty and objectivity, allowing no room for sentimentality.
I loved this book. I stayed up late on two consecutive nights, turning page after page, knowing her words would find their way into my dreams to stir up my own bleak childhood memories, but I was helpless to put the book down. Kudos to Priamos for having the courage to give us the gift of this book. An amazing and wonderful read.
April 14, 2016
I could not but this book down. The author pulls you into the world she lived and grew up in which was not always glamorous – it was full of disappointments and heartache and yet this shows how she was abl eto forgive him and learn valuable lessons. This Memoir shows the mystery about Paula’s fathers murder along with details from his clients. I really like how every other chapter is quotes from family and friends – they add to the mystery of his live and death buy also show the love she felt for her dad.
December 29, 2019
This book is beautifully written. The incredible honest account of the inter-workings of this family and the loyal love for a father make this memoir thrilling, suspenseful, and a bit haunting. I could not read this fast enough and have since picked it up several times to re-read. Highly recommend this book!
August 18, 2012
3.5 actually. A quick story you can't put down.
March 2, 2013
A powerful memoir that I read in two sittings. Priamos is both a strong woman and writer. I thank her for telling her story.
January 7, 2015
Well written memoir. I enjoyed the ethnic flavor weaved throughout story. I was also impressed with Paula 's strength in dealing with the difficult men in her life.
August 18, 2012
3.5-4 stars. Jackie and I read it at the same time, so we can post a joint review soon...
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews