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My Name Was Gerry Sass: A Novel
The Sopranos meets Six Feet Under in this thrilling debut crime novel about the killing of a hitman-for-hire, his daughter who wants revenge, and a priest who accidentally witnessed everything.
Gerry Sass is not who he appears to be. On the surface, he is the proud owner of a local country music station outside of Mystic, Iowa. Beneath it, he’s a mob-connected hitman-for-hire who launders money through the station WIOA.
One morning in 1986, his life of crime catches up to him when two men march him out into the woods and shoot him in the back of the head. Plunged into purgatory, he’s doomed to a painful examination of his life. Unbeknownst to the assassins, Gerry’s closest friend, a Catholic priest named Father Dan, witnesses his execution yet does nothing to stop it.
Meanwhile, Gerry’s daughter, Early, jumps into his prized Mustang with a thirst for revenge. On her adrenaline-fueled hunt, she comes to realize that she’s more like Gerry than she ever chose to admit.
Alternating between the voices of a grieving and adrenaline-fueled daughter, a guilt-ridden priest with no one he can trust, and the voice of a dead killer not quite yet gone, My Name Was Gerry Sass exposes the complicated natures of family, grief, and God in this propulsive and darkly funny novel.
Gerry Sass is not who he appears to be. On the surface, he is the proud owner of a local country music station outside of Mystic, Iowa. Beneath it, he’s a mob-connected hitman-for-hire who launders money through the station WIOA.
One morning in 1986, his life of crime catches up to him when two men march him out into the woods and shoot him in the back of the head. Plunged into purgatory, he’s doomed to a painful examination of his life. Unbeknownst to the assassins, Gerry’s closest friend, a Catholic priest named Father Dan, witnesses his execution yet does nothing to stop it.
Meanwhile, Gerry’s daughter, Early, jumps into his prized Mustang with a thirst for revenge. On her adrenaline-fueled hunt, she comes to realize that she’s more like Gerry than she ever chose to admit.
Alternating between the voices of a grieving and adrenaline-fueled daughter, a guilt-ridden priest with no one he can trust, and the voice of a dead killer not quite yet gone, My Name Was Gerry Sass exposes the complicated natures of family, grief, and God in this propulsive and darkly funny novel.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published May 12, 2026
About the author
Tiffany Hanssen
1 book20 followersTiffany Hanssen is an on-air host at public radio station WNYC in New York City. During her decades-long career in broadcasting, she has produced award-winning national programs and worked at stations from Las Vegas to Washington D.C. She is also a screenwriter and mom to two boys. And although she was born in Iowa and spent many years in Minnesota, she currently lives in Manhattan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
July 22, 2026
Terrific Crime Novel
A pure original, with a flow so natural and receptive you barely notice it. Wonderful characters, particularly Father Dan, the “failed man” and flailing priest who befriended the late title character and is determined to rise above himself and do right by his buddy after his demise, even if that means shedding some blood along the way.
A pure original, with a flow so natural and receptive you barely notice it. Wonderful characters, particularly Father Dan, the “failed man” and flailing priest who befriended the late title character and is determined to rise above himself and do right by his buddy after his demise, even if that means shedding some blood along the way.
May 14, 2026
Gerry Sass was a hard man, totally self-centred, violent, often offensive, a lousy husband and father, and a criminal. And now dead, after falsely leading on local Deputy Pete that he was going to spill information on his connections to organized crime.
Two hitmen grab him early one morning and drag him to a hunting blind on his property, and kill him, and leave, thinking no one is the wiser.
But Father Dan, younger son of a criminal, was in the blind, and is shocked and overwhelmed. After contacting Deputy Pete, Dan notifies Early, Gerry’s daughter. She’s unwilling to behave as Dan expects to the news, and he leaves in a huff, still in shock.
Before Early can do much more, the two killers arrive at hers and Gerry's home, and break in. Early watches from a hiding place as they ransack her home and leave, clearly upset not to have found what they were looking for. Unknown to them, Early had taken Gerry’s notebook with her when the killers arrived, and she’s genuinely shocked to realize that despite the ways in which he trained her to deal with certain possible eventualities, she had never believed him to be anything but a harsh man, terrible father and husband. His notebook, which contains payments and other information about his real clients, and nothing to do with the actual running of the radio station he owned, opens her eyes to his criminality. And that he likely did something that led to his death. And she’s bloody furious with the two killers, and determine to kill them right back.
Hopping into Gerry’s prized Mustang, with only necessities (beer, smokes, and a shotgun), Early races after the killers. Meanwhile, Dan falls apart, and has to call on his family’s help, and learns a little about himself, and Gerry, in the process. And Gerry lingers in purgatory as his body is autopsied and prepared for his funeral.
This was such an enjoyable surprise; it’s dark, funny and noirish, with three interesting and flawed characters. Each learns a little about themselves, while Early and Dan have to figure out how to proceed with their lives after Gerry’s unexpected death has given them new opportunities. They both must step up and be daring, something very new for Dan, while Early must also decide who she wants to be and what she’ll do with her life now, instead of dreamily lazing about, partly to irritate Gerry, and partly because she’s never had real goals before.
I liked this novel, and wonder what’s next for this author,
Thank you to Netgalley and to Grove Atlantic for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Two hitmen grab him early one morning and drag him to a hunting blind on his property, and kill him, and leave, thinking no one is the wiser.
But Father Dan, younger son of a criminal, was in the blind, and is shocked and overwhelmed. After contacting Deputy Pete, Dan notifies Early, Gerry’s daughter. She’s unwilling to behave as Dan expects to the news, and he leaves in a huff, still in shock.
Before Early can do much more, the two killers arrive at hers and Gerry's home, and break in. Early watches from a hiding place as they ransack her home and leave, clearly upset not to have found what they were looking for. Unknown to them, Early had taken Gerry’s notebook with her when the killers arrived, and she’s genuinely shocked to realize that despite the ways in which he trained her to deal with certain possible eventualities, she had never believed him to be anything but a harsh man, terrible father and husband. His notebook, which contains payments and other information about his real clients, and nothing to do with the actual running of the radio station he owned, opens her eyes to his criminality. And that he likely did something that led to his death. And she’s bloody furious with the two killers, and determine to kill them right back.
Hopping into Gerry’s prized Mustang, with only necessities (beer, smokes, and a shotgun), Early races after the killers. Meanwhile, Dan falls apart, and has to call on his family’s help, and learns a little about himself, and Gerry, in the process. And Gerry lingers in purgatory as his body is autopsied and prepared for his funeral.
This was such an enjoyable surprise; it’s dark, funny and noirish, with three interesting and flawed characters. Each learns a little about themselves, while Early and Dan have to figure out how to proceed with their lives after Gerry’s unexpected death has given them new opportunities. They both must step up and be daring, something very new for Dan, while Early must also decide who she wants to be and what she’ll do with her life now, instead of dreamily lazing about, partly to irritate Gerry, and partly because she’s never had real goals before.
I liked this novel, and wonder what’s next for this author,
Thank you to Netgalley and to Grove Atlantic for this ARC in exchange for my review.
February 12, 2026
I liked this way more than I thought I would. Crime, mafia, murder, and some fast turning pages. Enjoyed it!
June 26, 2026
This fits in the “small rural depressed town where everyone is kind of shady” book that I like. I so much love the idea of Gerry writing his obituary and then erasing the death date every morning. I might start doing that. And I liked his progression into death & the way we learned about his life.
I was kind of meh on both Dan and Early (more so Dan with the constant crisis of faith) but I did like the two sides of each of their characters and how that made them struggle. And the end was perfect, to me.
I was kind of meh on both Dan and Early (more so Dan with the constant crisis of faith) but I did like the two sides of each of their characters and how that made them struggle. And the end was perfect, to me.
July 15, 2026
This novel is based on an interesting premise, something like Thornton Wilder's "Our Town." The eponymous Gerry Sass dies early in the story, executed by hired killers. But who hired them and why? Who was Gerry Sass, other than the owner of a small-town radio station?
As Gerry descends into a kind of purgatory only vaguely aware of the what's happening in the land of the living, the local sheriff, Gerry's daughter, the parish priest and others race to track down the secrets of the man's life. It's a good premise, and Hanssen handles it relatively deftly. Like "Our Town," the ultimate effect is to have readers contemplate the measure of a person's life. But Gerry's story is sufficiently interesting, and surprising, along the way to make the contemplation fairly enjoyable.
As Gerry descends into a kind of purgatory only vaguely aware of the what's happening in the land of the living, the local sheriff, Gerry's daughter, the parish priest and others race to track down the secrets of the man's life. It's a good premise, and Hanssen handles it relatively deftly. Like "Our Town," the ultimate effect is to have readers contemplate the measure of a person's life. But Gerry's story is sufficiently interesting, and surprising, along the way to make the contemplation fairly enjoyable.
August 6, 2026
I couldn’t finish this book. I really tried but I just didn’t like it. And why did no characters care at all about Gerry Sass’ death? It just seems so unrealistic and weird? Maybe I’m just not around people like this but idk anyone like these characters at all.
And when a guy m*asturbates to his new car while his wife is giving birth, that’s the end for me. I closed the book and called it a day.
And when a guy m*asturbates to his new car while his wife is giving birth, that’s the end for me. I closed the book and called it a day.
May 11, 2026
I love it when you go into a book with your gut feeling being on the fence, wondering whether it’s really the right book for you, and you end up pleasantly surprised and love it! 🙌
I was hooked from the start and really loved the Early character! A solid debut that I definitely recommend checking out, especially if you loved The Sopranos - it definitely has those vibes! 👏
Thank you partner Atlantic Crime for the gifted advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! ❤️
I was hooked from the start and really loved the Early character! A solid debut that I definitely recommend checking out, especially if you loved The Sopranos - it definitely has those vibes! 👏
Thank you partner Atlantic Crime for the gifted advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! ❤️
May 14, 2026
Format: Gifted Paperback & Audiobook
Writing & Execution: 2.5/5
Themes & Messages: 2/5
Story Overall: 2/5/5
Narration: 3/5
Enjoyment: 2.5/5
While this was a quick and vengeful read, I found the delivery of the story to be clunky and underwhelming.
Writing & Execution: 2.5/5
Themes & Messages: 2/5
Story Overall: 2/5/5
Narration: 3/5
Enjoyment: 2.5/5
While this was a quick and vengeful read, I found the delivery of the story to be clunky and underwhelming.
August 10, 2026
Thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for this eARC.
This novel is a slow-burn psychological excavation of identity, memory, and the quiet violence of reinvention, delivered through a voice that feels both intimate and unsettlingly observant.
Hanssen builds the story around Gerry Sass—a woman who has spent years constructing a life that looks stable from the outside but is stitched together with omissions, half‑truths, and a past she has learned to speak around rather than about. The narrative doesn’t rely on melodrama; instead, it thrives on the tension between what Gerry tells us and what she refuses to articulate. That restraint becomes the engine of the book.
Gerry is written with a kind of emotional opacity that feels intentional rather than evasive. She’s not unreliable in the sensational sense; she’s unreliable in the human sense. Her memories arrive fragmented, sometimes softened, sometimes sharpened, always shaped by the survival instinct that has guided her adult life. Hanssen uses this to explore how people curate their own histories—what they keep, what they bury, and what they rewrite.
The supporting characters orbit Gerry in ways that reveal her more than they reveal themselves. Their reactions, suspicions, and small kindnesses become mirrors she can’t quite avoid. It’s a clever structural choice that keeps the reader leaning in.
The novel’s thematic core revolves around identity reconstruction, the cost of secrecy, and the way trauma reshapes self‑perception. Hanssen doesn’t sensationalize Gerry’s past; instead, she lets its weight seep through the cracks of everyday interactions. The pacing is deliberate, almost meditative, which allows the emotional stakes to accumulate quietly until they feel unavoidable.
There’s also a subtle commentary on how communities respond to people who don’t fit neatly into their expectations. Gerry’s attempts to blend in—sometimes earnest, sometimes strategic—highlight the tension between belonging and self‑protection.
Hanssen’s prose is crisp, observant, and often surprisingly tender. She has a talent for capturing the emotional residue of small moments: a pause in conversation, an offhand remark, a gesture that reveals more than dialogue ever could. The novel’s structure—interweaving present‑day scenes with carefully placed glimpses of Gerry’s earlier life—creates a rhythm that feels organic rather than engineered.
My Name Was Gerry Sass is a thoughtful, emotionally layered novel that rewards readers who appreciate character‑driven storytelling and psychological nuance. It’s less about what happened to Gerry and more about what she does with the person she has become—and whether she can bear the truth of her own reinvention.
This novel is a slow-burn psychological excavation of identity, memory, and the quiet violence of reinvention, delivered through a voice that feels both intimate and unsettlingly observant.
Hanssen builds the story around Gerry Sass—a woman who has spent years constructing a life that looks stable from the outside but is stitched together with omissions, half‑truths, and a past she has learned to speak around rather than about. The narrative doesn’t rely on melodrama; instead, it thrives on the tension between what Gerry tells us and what she refuses to articulate. That restraint becomes the engine of the book.
Gerry is written with a kind of emotional opacity that feels intentional rather than evasive. She’s not unreliable in the sensational sense; she’s unreliable in the human sense. Her memories arrive fragmented, sometimes softened, sometimes sharpened, always shaped by the survival instinct that has guided her adult life. Hanssen uses this to explore how people curate their own histories—what they keep, what they bury, and what they rewrite.
The supporting characters orbit Gerry in ways that reveal her more than they reveal themselves. Their reactions, suspicions, and small kindnesses become mirrors she can’t quite avoid. It’s a clever structural choice that keeps the reader leaning in.
The novel’s thematic core revolves around identity reconstruction, the cost of secrecy, and the way trauma reshapes self‑perception. Hanssen doesn’t sensationalize Gerry’s past; instead, she lets its weight seep through the cracks of everyday interactions. The pacing is deliberate, almost meditative, which allows the emotional stakes to accumulate quietly until they feel unavoidable.
There’s also a subtle commentary on how communities respond to people who don’t fit neatly into their expectations. Gerry’s attempts to blend in—sometimes earnest, sometimes strategic—highlight the tension between belonging and self‑protection.
Hanssen’s prose is crisp, observant, and often surprisingly tender. She has a talent for capturing the emotional residue of small moments: a pause in conversation, an offhand remark, a gesture that reveals more than dialogue ever could. The novel’s structure—interweaving present‑day scenes with carefully placed glimpses of Gerry’s earlier life—creates a rhythm that feels organic rather than engineered.
My Name Was Gerry Sass is a thoughtful, emotionally layered novel that rewards readers who appreciate character‑driven storytelling and psychological nuance. It’s less about what happened to Gerry and more about what she does with the person she has become—and whether she can bear the truth of her own reinvention.
July 6, 2026
I have a thing for dark, reprehensible CHs. And almost every CH in this slim debut crime noir novel is just that—all too human and questionably redeemable. Think Fargo or Scott Smith’s A Simple Plan. The reader knows pretty much right away that Gerry has a seedy past and a sociopath’s mindset and that he is dead for most of the narrative arc. His daughter Early, and the local parish priest, Father Dan, alternate chapters with Gerry’s memories of his days in Vietnam, which, of course, shaped his future as a mob hitman, and crucial moments that lead up to his death. Early and Father Dan have their own flawed souls to contend with making them and the CHs they experience and describe a motley crew of unlikable, and in some cases, inexcusable human beings. Most of the action in this book takes place on the road and Hanssen really describes the highway, the outskirts of the seedier sections of Chicago, and the back roads of Mystic, Iowa scenes well, as she does the murders, the staggering brutality, and the sensual discomfort of unwashed bodies, secluded hunting blinds, the chrome of classic Mustangs, the care and feeding of chickens, armament, and the ambiance of Reagan’s 1986 America. The Tone is gritty, vicious, and the suspense builds as Early seeks revenge and answers and Father Dan stumbles onto who he really has become as the author peppers the prose with Hank Williams lyrics and Allen Ginsberg couplets. The Themes include the parent/child dynamic and how one dances with destiny and one’s faith. RED FLAGS: Brutal and graphic violence; Domestic Abuse (one scene almost made me stoop reading) ; Vulgar Language; Alcohol and Drugs. This is a gritty, modern crime novel with very unpleasant CHs but I could not put it down as Gerry and company's derisive voices made it a compelling puzzle. Readalikes may be Eli Cranor’s Ozark Dogs, David Gordon’s Joe the Bouncer series, and perhaps, Nicolás Ferraro My Favorite Scar.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
My Name was Gerry Sass, Tiffany Hanssen’s debut novel, is a small time, small town American crime novel. This is not a criticism. It is just to set expectations around a book that centres around a fairly small time criminal, his daughter and his friend a priest with his own criminal connections.
My Name was Gerry Sass opens with the death of the title character. Gerry has caught the attention of the local sheriff and is trying to play him by pretending to offer information. Only word has got out that Sass is going to squeal so a couple of guys come and kill him. The death is witnessed by local priest Father Dan and sets him off on his own journey of personal discovery. But Gerry’s daughter Early wants revenge and sets out in her father’s beloved Mustang to hunt the killers down. The closer she comes the more she realises how much like her father she is, something that is clear from the chapters focussing on Gerry’s story, narrated from the point of view of his spirit from its spot in purgatory.
Reading a bit like a Tarantino or Coen Brothers tale – set in small town America and featuring characters with not much power but lots of determination. There are car chases, accidental shootings, road house encounters and a brush with the slightly bigger time. But this is all focussed on the low level and so is more than anything else a character study of three interesting individuals and how their circumstances change them. So that, overall, My Name was Gerry Sass is a fun but slight tale that is short enough not to outstay its welcome.
My Name was Gerry Sass opens with the death of the title character. Gerry has caught the attention of the local sheriff and is trying to play him by pretending to offer information. Only word has got out that Sass is going to squeal so a couple of guys come and kill him. The death is witnessed by local priest Father Dan and sets him off on his own journey of personal discovery. But Gerry’s daughter Early wants revenge and sets out in her father’s beloved Mustang to hunt the killers down. The closer she comes the more she realises how much like her father she is, something that is clear from the chapters focussing on Gerry’s story, narrated from the point of view of his spirit from its spot in purgatory.
Reading a bit like a Tarantino or Coen Brothers tale – set in small town America and featuring characters with not much power but lots of determination. There are car chases, accidental shootings, road house encounters and a brush with the slightly bigger time. But this is all focussed on the low level and so is more than anything else a character study of three interesting individuals and how their circumstances change them. So that, overall, My Name was Gerry Sass is a fun but slight tale that is short enough not to outstay its welcome.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Grove Atlantic & NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Um. I think we can categorize this one at Not For Me. It's too bad, because the description sounded pretty good - a mob-connected hitman gets taken out near the radio station he purchased to launder his dirty money, and chaos ensues. But this book can't decide if it's a treatise on grief and loss of bad parent(s) or a character study of a lonesome priest who doesn't really seem to have a calling and just found himself in a dog collar one day. Unfortunately, it's trying to be both, and the story is relentlessly grim. There is a LOT of killing in this book, to the extent that it reads like the script of a straight to video shoot-'em-up. The most interesting aspect of the story should have been Gerry's hitman career, but the (mercifully) brief stints in Gerry's post-death consciousness skim over this; we mostly get Early (???) on a cigarette-and-booze-fueled revenge roadtrip, which is both unlikely and somehow boring.
It's an easy read, but not worth the time I put in, and the fact that it took me 3 weeks to get it done testifies to that.
Um. I think we can categorize this one at Not For Me. It's too bad, because the description sounded pretty good - a mob-connected hitman gets taken out near the radio station he purchased to launder his dirty money, and chaos ensues. But this book can't decide if it's a treatise on grief and loss of bad parent(s) or a character study of a lonesome priest who doesn't really seem to have a calling and just found himself in a dog collar one day. Unfortunately, it's trying to be both, and the story is relentlessly grim. There is a LOT of killing in this book, to the extent that it reads like the script of a straight to video shoot-'em-up. The most interesting aspect of the story should have been Gerry's hitman career, but the (mercifully) brief stints in Gerry's post-death consciousness skim over this; we mostly get Early (???) on a cigarette-and-booze-fueled revenge roadtrip, which is both unlikely and somehow boring.
It's an easy read, but not worth the time I put in, and the fact that it took me 3 weeks to get it done testifies to that.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
My Name Was Gerry Sass by Tiffany Hanssen. Thanks to @atlanticcrime for the gifted Arc
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gerry Sass may just seem like a small town radio show owner, but he’s also a mob connected hit man laundering through the station. One morning it catches up with him when he’s shot through the head. His best friend Father Dan, a Catholic priest, witnessed the murder. His daughter, Early, grabs Gerry’s Mustang and goes on a ride for revenge.
This one has a real Tarantino feel to it. I could definitely see him making it into a movie. Not to be stereotypical but I think a lot of male readers will enjoy this one; as they like Tarantino! I loved the decision to have Gerry Sass narrating some chapters, as he’s killed in the very first chapter. I enjoyed his daughter’s chapters more than the others, and loved her quest for revenge but also her confusion and emotion about the past.
“The brightest veins of gold are found in the darkest corners of the mine.”
Read if you like:
-Action packed thrillers
-Revenge stories
-Multi POV
-Tarantino like plots
My Name Was Gerry Sass comes out 5/12.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gerry Sass may just seem like a small town radio show owner, but he’s also a mob connected hit man laundering through the station. One morning it catches up with him when he’s shot through the head. His best friend Father Dan, a Catholic priest, witnessed the murder. His daughter, Early, grabs Gerry’s Mustang and goes on a ride for revenge.
This one has a real Tarantino feel to it. I could definitely see him making it into a movie. Not to be stereotypical but I think a lot of male readers will enjoy this one; as they like Tarantino! I loved the decision to have Gerry Sass narrating some chapters, as he’s killed in the very first chapter. I enjoyed his daughter’s chapters more than the others, and loved her quest for revenge but also her confusion and emotion about the past.
“The brightest veins of gold are found in the darkest corners of the mine.”
Read if you like:
-Action packed thrillers
-Revenge stories
-Multi POV
-Tarantino like plots
My Name Was Gerry Sass comes out 5/12.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Hit men. A conflicted Priest. 80’s references - sounds good right? With alternating short chapters between three of the main characters this is a fast read at just over 200 pages.
📘 INSIDE THE PAGES
Gerry’s past is anything but ordinary. Now running a small local radio station and living in 200 acres of near-total isolation outside Mystic, Iowa, he’s managed to stay off the radar. But rumors are circling that he sold out his old associates to the Feds, and the confidence that once protected him could be his downfall.
As if that weren’t enough, Pete, his former school nemesis turned local cop, is closing in, convinced Gerry’s tied up in money laundering. Gerry’s only ally is Father Dan, the town’s Catholic priest and he’s about to witness something far darker than a confession.
But Gerry isn’t the only one with a fiery streak. His daughter Early is more like him than she ever realized and she’s not about to let this end without a fight.
🌟 MY THOUGHTS
Such a unique way to tell a story. Gerry is shot in the very first chapter yet still narrates his side, from purgatory!
Father Dan is far from your typical priest. Afflicted with narcolepsy brought on by deep family trauma, he’s living a life that was never really his choice. You can feel his tension and makes you wonder how different things might have been if he hadn’t been labeled “delicate” so early on.
And then there’s Early, Gerry’s daughter. You watch her shift from indifference to revenge, and finally to the unsettling realization that she’s more like her father than she ever wanted to be.
There’s some great dark humor woven throughout, along with fun ’80s references. I couldn’t help but smile at the dashboard cigarette lighter moment. The recurring “it’s a life” thread adds a playful edge to a story filled with deeply flawed, complicated characters.
Many thanks to the publisher AtlanticCrime for sending me a copy.
📘 INSIDE THE PAGES
Gerry’s past is anything but ordinary. Now running a small local radio station and living in 200 acres of near-total isolation outside Mystic, Iowa, he’s managed to stay off the radar. But rumors are circling that he sold out his old associates to the Feds, and the confidence that once protected him could be his downfall.
As if that weren’t enough, Pete, his former school nemesis turned local cop, is closing in, convinced Gerry’s tied up in money laundering. Gerry’s only ally is Father Dan, the town’s Catholic priest and he’s about to witness something far darker than a confession.
But Gerry isn’t the only one with a fiery streak. His daughter Early is more like him than she ever realized and she’s not about to let this end without a fight.
🌟 MY THOUGHTS
Such a unique way to tell a story. Gerry is shot in the very first chapter yet still narrates his side, from purgatory!
Father Dan is far from your typical priest. Afflicted with narcolepsy brought on by deep family trauma, he’s living a life that was never really his choice. You can feel his tension and makes you wonder how different things might have been if he hadn’t been labeled “delicate” so early on.
And then there’s Early, Gerry’s daughter. You watch her shift from indifference to revenge, and finally to the unsettling realization that she’s more like her father than she ever wanted to be.
There’s some great dark humor woven throughout, along with fun ’80s references. I couldn’t help but smile at the dashboard cigarette lighter moment. The recurring “it’s a life” thread adds a playful edge to a story filled with deeply flawed, complicated characters.
Many thanks to the publisher AtlanticCrime for sending me a copy.
May 23, 2026
Gerry Sass was a man whose life was always tangled with violence, from his upbringing to his career choices that led him to the Vietnam war and when back home to work as "killer for hire". He was plagued by violence, he could not deal with a normal household life but he loved Early, his daughter. He was murdered, and Father Dan (also his friend) watched it and was unable to act, he also felt unable to confort Gerry's daughter. What will follow is a series of violent acts perpetrated by Early and Father Dan, the discovery of hard thruth involving both families, and the blossoming of an unexpected friendship between them. My Name Was Gerry Sass is a dark novel with a lot of reflection regarding choices made in life and how those choices affect people's capacity of being happy and lead a fullfilling life.
I thank the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.
I thank the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
“It’s a life.” This is a phrase that 43-year-old Gerry Sass, a mob hitman who masquerades as a successful radio station owner in Mystic, Iowa, often repeats to himself, and he does it again on the morning of November 26, 1986, to stem his growing sense of dread. He’s under criminal investigation for money laundering, and there are rumors in the underworld that Gerry is going to flip. Unfortunately, his fear becomes reality when two masked men run Gerry off the road, march him into the woods, and shoot him in the head. While the newly deceased Gerry plunges into purgatory to ruminate on his late life, his friend, a timorous Catholic priest named Father Dan, hides unseen in a hunting blind, witnessing the killing but doing nothing to stop it. Instead, he drives to Gerry’s farm to tell Early, Gerry’s college dropout daughter, about her father’s death. Grief-stricken and enraged, Early hops into Gerry’s prized Mustang and embarks on an intense quest to avenge his killing. Along the way, the determined young woman discovers that she is more like Gerry than she had ever imagined. Alternating the high-speed narrative among her three well-drawn protagonists, WNYC on-air host Hanssen makes a kickass debut with this darkly funny, beautifully written, and highly original tale of murder, revenge, and family ties. Most importantly, she has written a moving story about the love between a father and a daughter that abides even after death.
July 22, 2026
A bit like a slow-burn Elmore Lenard tale, Gerry Sass, book and character, never really engages us as much as we want. Daughter Early is a fun character caught in a somewhat attenuated story; indeed, the ending feels unfinished, as if the climax we’re waiting for can only come in a sequel. The pace is less than frantic, even though, for the bulk of the plot, Early is in avenging angel mode.
It’s a real disappointment because the story promises at every point to shift gears and feed us an explosive third act. But the elements stay warm, like food in a crockpot, bland leftovers of a meal we never enjoyed.
It’s a real disappointment because the story promises at every point to shift gears and feed us an explosive third act. But the elements stay warm, like food in a crockpot, bland leftovers of a meal we never enjoyed.
June 25, 2026
Fierce and funny novel about a hitman who buys an Iowa country music station as a vehicle to launder money and who reaps what he's sowed just as he is about to turn his life around...maybe.
This slim volume features a trio of narrators: the hitman, his daughter, and a priest who witnesses the hit on the hitman, and a cast of lesser oddball characters who contrive to keep the mayhem moving right along.
I don't know what it says about me that I loved this violent story and its deeply flawed characters, but there it is.
This slim volume features a trio of narrators: the hitman, his daughter, and a priest who witnesses the hit on the hitman, and a cast of lesser oddball characters who contrive to keep the mayhem moving right along.
I don't know what it says about me that I loved this violent story and its deeply flawed characters, but there it is.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I wanted to like this because the premise seems so fun, but unfortunately this book just didn’t come together for me :( the writing was a little cheesy and there was something off about how little characters were fleshed out— I kept thinking “huh? Who’s that again?”and having to flip back to figure out. The plot also weirdly didn’t feel motivated enough for me, so I was perpetually a little confused about what was going on and why characters were making decisions
June 15, 2026
I don’t know if this book was just incredibly badly written or if the author used AI but one thing (among many) that stood out was that one of the protagonists, a 20 year old college dropout named Early, kept quoting beat authors and poets (Ginsberg, Kerouac) at a rate of 2-3 aphorisms per chapter. Ridiculous. The one star is for naming the car Elsie which as far as I can tell is a William Carlos Williams reference.otherwise this book was truly terrible.
June 28, 2026
Making an effort to actually leave reviews instead of star ratings so to that end, this is a great, zippy read about the nuances of what at first glance feel like losers and dirtbags and the multitudes they contain. My only real complaint is a number of characters either share names with historical monsters or are in fact intended to be those characters despite them being dead by the time this takes place. If you’re not on the spectrum in the exact way as me this won’t bother you.
May 19, 2026
I absolutely love this book- fun and funny- fast moving the story is told in a way that is innovative and deep. Three main charachters- Gerry, Daughter Early and Father Dan....and all so complex and fun. The main protangonist, is a hit man for hire, clearly morally flawed, yet at the same time, his impact and Dan and Early is profound. Story moves quickly, very well written, I highly recommend.
June 13, 2026
Really interesting gritty characters populate this fast paced story. I say “story” as the end came much faster than I expected, leaving me to wonder how Early Sass (great name) will continue and wished for more. Very memorable.
This was on my list because of a review in NYT by Sarah Weinman, spot on for recommending it.
This was on my list because of a review in NYT by Sarah Weinman, spot on for recommending it.
July 4, 2026
Midwestern noir that twists and turns at a fast pace and is darkly hilarious. Among the equally compelling but distinct and unforgettable main characters, one speaks to us from the grave but doesn't seem bothered by it as they all probe the human condition and how to forgive and love amidst the chaos we call life. Sped through & loved it!
July 27, 2026
Brilliantly written and fast paced. I was completely captivated for the afternoon it took me to read this. If you like gallows humor, this is a read for you. Every single word printed is meshed into the story, which I can appreciate. I tire of novels that add a ton of filler. I look forward to Hanssen's next project.
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August 8, 2026enjoyable!! i liked the pacing, plot, and how the writing informed the characterization and the various stories each character told. there was a lot of violence but the writing for it felt more light / matter of fact which i found refreshing. i’m not really sure who i’d recommend this to but i liked it
Review of advance copy received from Publishers Weekly
Fun, suspenseful and entertaining- a real page turning. A brilliant and creative character development that is done in a parallel fashion which makes the book uniquely interesting! Absolutely loved it!
June 12, 2026
This is an excellent story and a debut at that. Why its a described as a cross between Soprano's (ok) and Six Feet Under (?) is a disservice to the story. The POV of the three main characters is dead on (pun intended) and all are compelling. Well done rookie!!!
August 3, 2026
Creative crime novel with plenty of humor. You don’t care about what happens to the characters, just enjoy the narrative. Hope it’s not a spoiler that Gerry gets to glimpse at parts of his life from purgatory. Quite an enjoyable summer read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A great story seen through three characters.
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