'57, Chicago

by Steve Monroe

Bobby the Lip, a scheming, down-on-his-luck sports promoter, intends to score big by setting upand xinga bout between a big-time heavyweight and a young black contender. But everyone wants a piece of the action, and the Lip nds himself having to outsmart a hungry little crowd of crooks, bookies, detectives, and mob goons. High bets knock the odds in the air as both the police and the mob begin to close in on the Lip, smelling the x and a prot. And just before the big night, a couple of dead bodies turn up, threatening to upset the big plan. Thick with period color and detail, Monroes well-received debut novel brings a city and its dark underside to thrilling life, illuminating an era.

Genres: Fiction

236 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Steve Monroe is a real-estate broker who previously worked as a stringer and sports writer. He splits his time between Chicago and Seattle.

You can connect with Steve on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SteveMonroeB...

Reviews

[Tiziano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro ben scritto con una storia intrigante calata nel sordido mondo delle scommesse clandestine. Qualche errore di troppe nella traduzione.

[AndreaMarretti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro favoloso con un ritmo incalzante: tratteggia in modo magistrale i personaggi che si aggirano ai bordi del ring e mostra alcuni aspetti della boxe "come era" e come è stata fino a poco tempo fa, quando alcuni impresari erano ancora più "personaggi" dei pugili di cui _teoricamente_ curavano gli interessi.
Vita, morte, fortuna, amori e speranze che hanno preso forma altissima in questo romanzo: da leggere!

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took some pages to get into this story of boxing promotion, bookmaking, and the mob but once it started moving it was a ride I stayed on till the end. It includes some sex and violence and racial epithets, a bit of talk of the troubles of making book, and not enough talk about Chicago itself, but the many characters are memorable and the plot drives relentlessly toward the bout when everyone's fate will be decided.

[Massimo Foglio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un bel noir ambientato nellaChicago anni 50 tra allibratori, malavitosi, boxeur esordienti e marpioni del ring. Un bel ritmo che porta avanti la storia con maestria fino ad arrivare al colpo finale, magistralmente raccontato con la dovuta enfasi e suspense.
Per essere un esordio: chapeau!