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Howard Gimple, master of the comedy thriller, takes on the world of advertising in his funniest, snarkiest, most entertainingly irreverent book yet.
Stew Gribnitz is a brilliant advertising copywriter with impulse control issues, an utter disdain for authority and an unresolved demi-Oedipal complex (he’d like to murder his father but has no sexual designs on his mother). When the first act of his new creative director is to dump our hero’s best work into a garbage bin, Stew’s immediate impulse (which, of course, he can’t control) is to do unspeakable things to his new boss’s necktie while he’s still wearing it. The next day, when the necktie guy is found brutally murdered, Stew is brought in for questioning by the NYPD. He’s released thanks to an air-tight alibi, but not before his face is emblazoned on the cover of the New York tabloids, declaring him to be a cross between Son of Sam and Jack the Ripper. Stew becomes a Madison Avenue untouchable and a New York City pariah, except to his father who declares that seeing his son on the front page of his favorite paper is the first time that Stew has ever done anything to make him proud.
Stew gets a gig as a part-time advertising consultant to a billionaire publisher running for Governor of Connecticut who’s twenty points behind in the polls. When the publisher’s private plane does a nosedive into Long Island Sound, Stew is the only one who knows that his deceased client had been receiving death threats from his opponent, a former FBI agent whose brother is a mob enforcer. Stew is convinced he’ll be the next victim and the authorities are convinced he’s a multiple murderer. The only way to clear his name is to find the real killer or killers, a task, well beyond his skill set, made even more difficult because the FBI, the NYPD, several suburban police jurisdictions and a homicidal hitwoman are all out to GET GRIBNITZ.
Stew Gribnitz is a brilliant advertising copywriter with impulse control issues, an utter disdain for authority and an unresolved demi-Oedipal complex (he’d like to murder his father but has no sexual designs on his mother). When the first act of his new creative director is to dump our hero’s best work into a garbage bin, Stew’s immediate impulse (which, of course, he can’t control) is to do unspeakable things to his new boss’s necktie while he’s still wearing it. The next day, when the necktie guy is found brutally murdered, Stew is brought in for questioning by the NYPD. He’s released thanks to an air-tight alibi, but not before his face is emblazoned on the cover of the New York tabloids, declaring him to be a cross between Son of Sam and Jack the Ripper. Stew becomes a Madison Avenue untouchable and a New York City pariah, except to his father who declares that seeing his son on the front page of his favorite paper is the first time that Stew has ever done anything to make him proud.
Stew gets a gig as a part-time advertising consultant to a billionaire publisher running for Governor of Connecticut who’s twenty points behind in the polls. When the publisher’s private plane does a nosedive into Long Island Sound, Stew is the only one who knows that his deceased client had been receiving death threats from his opponent, a former FBI agent whose brother is a mob enforcer. Stew is convinced he’ll be the next victim and the authorities are convinced he’s a multiple murderer. The only way to clear his name is to find the real killer or killers, a task, well beyond his skill set, made even more difficult because the FBI, the NYPD, several suburban police jurisdictions and a homicidal hitwoman are all out to GET GRIBNITZ.
348 pages, Paperback
Published July 24, 2024
About the author
Howard Gimple
7 books60 followersHoward Gimple has been a penslinger for most of his adult life. He was a writer at Newsday, the editor of a newsletter for the New York Giants football team and a copywriter and creative director for several New York ad agencies. He has written English dialogue for the American releases of Japanese anime cartoons, reviewed books for the Long Island History Journal and movies for a pay-per-view television network.
Howard was Chief Creative Officer at TajMania Entertainment, a film and TV production company dedicated to creating socially conscious programming. He wrote ’The Garbageman,’ an award-winning documentary about a waste management executive who helped save the lives of more than 50,000 children with congenital heart disease.
He was a writer and sports editor for the Stony Brook University alumni magazine. He also taught two seminars at the university, ‘Rock & Relevance,’ about the political influence of 60’s rock & roll and ‘Filthy Shakespeare,’ exploring the dramatic use of sexual puns and innuendos in the Bard's plays and poems.
Unable to hold a job for any length of time, Howard turned to writing novels, where his chances of getting fired are minimal.
Howard grew up in Brooklyn, which became cool shortly after he departed. He now lives in Glendora, California.
Howard was Chief Creative Officer at TajMania Entertainment, a film and TV production company dedicated to creating socially conscious programming. He wrote ’The Garbageman,’ an award-winning documentary about a waste management executive who helped save the lives of more than 50,000 children with congenital heart disease.
He was a writer and sports editor for the Stony Brook University alumni magazine. He also taught two seminars at the university, ‘Rock & Relevance,’ about the political influence of 60’s rock & roll and ‘Filthy Shakespeare,’ exploring the dramatic use of sexual puns and innuendos in the Bard's plays and poems.
Unable to hold a job for any length of time, Howard turned to writing novels, where his chances of getting fired are minimal.
Howard grew up in Brooklyn, which became cool shortly after he departed. He now lives in Glendora, California.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 14, 2025
The story follows Stew Gribnitz, an advertising copywriter at a Madison Avenue firm. When the new creative director, James G. Persons, arrives and belittles everyone's work, Stew, frustrated, fires back with an insult in front of the entire office. The next day, Persons is found dead, and all fingers point to Stew as the prime suspect.
Barnett Boyce, however, refuses to believe that Stew is a murderer. Though Stew loses his job, Boyce helps him secure a new position under Edward Rivette. But soon after, Rivette also turns up dead. Now, the real question remains—who is the actual killer? Can Stew prove his innocence before it’s too late?
This story reinforced an important lesson: sometimes, it’s best to keep our mouths shut. Stew’s impulsive words got him into trouble he never intended. The author's writing style is engaging, and the cover design is striking. The suspenseful storyline kept me hooked, and Stew quickly became my favorite character. This book will linger in your mind long after you turn the last page.
Barnett Boyce, however, refuses to believe that Stew is a murderer. Though Stew loses his job, Boyce helps him secure a new position under Edward Rivette. But soon after, Rivette also turns up dead. Now, the real question remains—who is the actual killer? Can Stew prove his innocence before it’s too late?
This story reinforced an important lesson: sometimes, it’s best to keep our mouths shut. Stew’s impulsive words got him into trouble he never intended. The author's writing style is engaging, and the cover design is striking. The suspenseful storyline kept me hooked, and Stew quickly became my favorite character. This book will linger in your mind long after you turn the last page.
March 21, 2025
A fun and snarky read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews