One-Eyed Jacks

by Brad Smith

Tommy was standing there without a drink along that last bit of bar. End of the line, Lee thought, where else would she find him? She stopped in front of him, almost as tall as him in her pumps, knowing full well that everybody in the joint was watching her and not giving one thin damn.She could only stand there a moment though, and then she had to touch him; she put her arms around his neck and her cheek next to his, just to feel him after all this time, to smell him after all these years. And then he put those hams of his around her and they stayed like that, not saying anything, for maybe a minute.Finally she put her lips against his neck and then on his mouth and she stepped back to look at him again."Oh, you goddamn mick," she said. "Where you been?"At 35, Tommy Cochrane is a washed-up boxer who missed out on a shot at the heavyweight title and has to hang up his gloves for good when he's diagnosed with an aneurysm. His best friend and former sparring partner, T-Bone Pike, isn't in great shape either as the two of them head to Toronto on a quest for the $5,000 Tommy desperately needs to buy back his grandfather's farm.In the big city, Tommy and T-Bone encounter an intriguing cast of characters operating on the questionable side of the tracks. Fat Ollie runs the weekly poker game on Queen Street; Buzz Murdoch gives Tommy a job as a doorman at the Bamboo club; Herm Bell is a sharp kid on a run of luck; and Tony Broad is a small-time hood with big-time ambitions and a seedy sidekick named Billy Callahan. There's also Lee Charles, a sharp, cynical, smart-mouthed torch singer, who happens to be Tommy's ex-girlfriend.In the tradition of James Ellroy, Brad Smith has readers instantly embroiled in a quick-paced plot that involves guns and money, good guys and bad guys, double and triple crosses, and an exciting, suspenseful payoff. An unerring tradition of '50s Ontario, rich in local colour and with the kind of crackling dialogue that drives an Elmore Leonard novel, One-Eyed Jacks is a great read that opens up the underbelly of Toronto the Good.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Crime

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Brad Smith was born and raised in southern Ontario. He has worked as a farmer, signalman, insulator, truck driver, bartender, schoolteacher, maintenance mechanic, roofer, and carpenter. He lives in a eighty-year-old farmhouse near the north shore of Lake Erie. His novel, "One-Eyed Jacks" was nominated for the Dashiell Hammett Prize.

Some of his books that have been published include One-Eyed Jacks (2000), All Hat (2003), Busted Flush (2005), Big Man Coming Down The Road (2007), Red Means Run (January 2012) and Crow's Landing (August 2012).

Follow Brad on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/uQYcIw.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Eyed Jacks should be right at the top of every bestseller list. It's that good. Smith created an absolutely breathtaking novel that slowly builds in tension from beginning to end. I really liked how it began at such a slow pace and how each of the characters developed.

It's Toronto and the nearby farmland in the late fifties and Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley are the biggest stars anyone's heard of and everyone wants to know who is going to be the next heavyweight champion of the world. Two washed up and dead broke old boxers, one Canadian (Tommy Cochrane) and one a Black man from Missouri ( T- Bone), leave their old De Soto to rust when it stops and hitchhike their way north. It's where Tommy's old family farm is - that is if he can ever get the dough to buy it before his brother in law puts it up for auction.

Of course, it wouldn't be dramatic if the old boxer didn't get a chance for one last fight against an up and comer, a bruiser with no brains but his eye on a pathway to Madison Square Garden and the championship belt. And of course the story wouldn't be complete without Mac the conniving promoter who will do anything in the book to get his fight.

There's also Tommy's long lost love, Lee, back from Hollywood where she never made it big, but up in Toronto every man has his eyes on her as she strolls across the room belting out torch songs with a jazz ensemble at the Blue Parrot.

Throw in a guy obsessed with horse races and gambling, a guy with Brylcream in his hair, a .38, and a cheap suit, and a guy who makes stag movies. Each character perfectly etched.

What you have here is a great story that just purrs along like a sleek racing car. It's a story about good guys and bad guys, about the meaning of friendship, and a terrific love story. It's a fight story that involves a couple of fighters and training for a big fight, but, on the whole, it's not really a boxing story.

Smith does a great job of encapsulating the era and the life of the nightclubs and boxing gyms and the scuzzy characters circling around the periphery.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One-Eyed Jacks took me back to the nights of my youth watching old black and white movies on the t.v. Lots of good character development and a good old-fashioned bad guy/good guy match-up over Lee, the hottest woman I've read to life in a long time. A little bit film noir and a lot on style, this one is worth reading over.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Tommy is a washed-up boxer in Toronto looking for $5K he needs to buy back his farm. He finds guns, money, and the rest.

[Richard Dow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Canadian read!

[Chi Dubinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tommy Cochrane, washed up boxer, returns to his small Ontario hometown with his friend T-Bone Pike, another fighter. Cochrane discovers his family farm is about to be sold unless he can come up with five thousand dollars in a couple of weeks. Lee Charles, Tommy’s former girlfriend, has become disillusioned with her acting career in Los Angeles, and has moved back to Toronto to take a gig as a lounge singer. Nominated for the Dashiell Hammett Prize.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Brad Smith. He always has interesting characters. This story is about an ex-boxer, gambling and a great dilema for the hero. The bonus is it takes place in Toronto. Great Canadian book!

[Patricia Sands · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never ready anything by Brad Smith before. He was recommended by my friend and fellow author, Patricia Caviglia. I thoroughly enjoyed his writing. The story was fast-paced with colourful characters, excellent dialogue and an unpredictable ending. I'll be reading more by him!

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious book of country hicks, city slickers, bad sex, crazy relationships, and bizarre quests. I found Brad Smith to be a surprisingly satisfying writer...especially as I'm not usually drawn to the subject matter with which he fills his novels.

[Beverly]

Someone from my home town gave me this book to read because the author grew up in the neighbourhood. I thought big deal. When I started to read the book I was pleasantly surprised. It was a really good read!

[Darrell Reimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and artful re-working of Steinbeck's "Of Mice & Men."

[Nancydrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved reading about the seedy side of Toronto in the 50s. Great characters

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fine noir novel of the black-and-white film fedora school. Hits all the right notes: snappy dialog, memorable characters, and a hero to pull for.