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Purgatory Gardens: A Novel
Sammy Dee is a mid-level Long Island mafioso in witness protection. Didier Onyekachukwu was the corrupt minister of finance of the former Upper Volta. Both men find themselves in middle age, living in the Southern California version of genteel poverty in a down-market condo complex called Paradise Gardens. Enter Marcy Gray, a “mature” actress barely getting by on a meager SAG pension. She is looking for a guy to help her through the duration and, frankly, at this point her standards are not as high as they should be; she’d settle for someone who doesn’t pick his teeth at the table and who drives at night. Occasional sex and some travel wouldn’t hurt. Her search has narrowed to two fellow Sammy and Didier, who, being male, are mostly interested in getting into Marcy Gray’s pants. Though a little of the money they mistakenly think she has wouldn’t hurt either.Once both men realize that the other is the primary obstacle to Marcy’s affections, each decides to put a hit on the other, and winds up unknowingly hiring the same father-son demolition squad.As the contract killers play both of their clients against one another, Marcy manages to keep both men out of her bed until one or the other of her prospects passes muster. Poisoned pizza, blown-up cars, sex in the sauna, and media madness ensue. It’s Elmore Leonard meets Carl Hiaasen as directed by the Coen brothers.With Purgatory Gardens, Lefcourt is back at the top of his game as one of America’s leading comedic writers.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction-novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
- GenresFiction
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2015
49 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Peter Lefcourt
20 books30 followersPeter Lefcourt is a refugee from the trenches of Hollywood, where he has distinguished himself as a writer and producer of film and television. Among his credits are "Cagney and Lacey," for which he won an Emmy Award; "Monte Carlo," in which he managed to keep Joan Collins in the same wardrobe for 35 pages; the relentlessly sentimental "Danielle Steel's Fine Things," and the underrated and hurried "The Women of Windsor," the most sordid, and thankfully last, miniseries about the British Royal Family.
He began writing novels in the late 1980's, after being declared "marginally unemployable" in the entertainment business by his then agent. In 1991 Lefcourt published The Deal -- an act of supreme hubris that effectively bit the hand that fed him and produced, in that inverse and masochistic logic of Hollywood, a fresh demand for his screenwriting services. It remains a cult favorite in Hollywood, was one of the ten books that John Gotti reportedly ordered from jail, and was adapted into a movie -- starring William H. Macy, Meg Ryan and L.L. Cool Jay -- that premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Subsequently, he has divided his time between screenplays and novels, publishing The Dreyfus Affair in 1992, his darkly comic look at homophobia in baseball as a historical analog to anti-Semitism in fin de siecle France, which The Walt Disney Company has optioned twice and let lapse twice in fits of anxiety about what it says about the national pastime and, by extension, Disneyland. He is hopeful that a major(or even minor) motion picture will be made from it in his lifetime. The book continues to sell well in trade paperback -- it's in its fifteenth printing, and, as such, acts as a small but steady cottage industry for its author, who, at this point, would almost rather keep optioning it than have it actually made. But not really.
In 1994, he published Di And I, a heavily fictionalized version of his love affair with the late Princess of Wales. Princess Diana's own stepgodmother, Barbara Cartland, who was herself no slouch when it came to publishing torrid books, declared Di And I "ghastly and unnecessary," which pushed the British edition briefly onto the best-seller lists. Di And I was optioned by Fine Line Pictures, in 1996, and was quietly abandoned after Diana's untimely death the following year. Someday it may reach the screen -- when poor Diana is no longer seen as an historical icon but merely as the misunderstood and tragic figure that she was, devoured by her own popularity.
Abbreviating Ernie, his next novel, was inspired by his brief brush with notoriety after the appearance of Di And I. At the time he was harassed by the British tabloids and spent seven excruciating minutes on "Entertainment Tonight." He was subsequently and fittingly bumped out of People Magazine by O.J. Simpson's white Bronco media event of June, 1994. In a paroxysm of misplaced guilt, the editors of "People," to make amends, declared it a "Beach Read," which helped put the book ephemerally on the Best Seller lists during the summer of 1994. Anecdotally, however, the author spent a lot of time combing the beaches that summer without seeing a single person reading his book.
Lefcourt's research on a movie for HBO about the 1995 Bob Packwood canard was the germ for his next novel, The Woody. He began to see that the former senator's battle with the Senate Ethics Committee was a dramatization of the total confusion in America regarding appropriate sexual behavior for politicians. Packwood became the sacrificial lamb -- taking the pipe for an entire generation of men. Basically, he got his dick caught in the zeitgeist. After President Clinton got his caught in a younger zeitgeist, nearly costing him his job, The Woody became all the more topical. It asks the question: What is the relationship between a politician's sexual competence and his popularity in the polls? If Packwood had been as smooth as Clinton, he would be the majority lead
He began writing novels in the late 1980's, after being declared "marginally unemployable" in the entertainment business by his then agent. In 1991 Lefcourt published The Deal -- an act of supreme hubris that effectively bit the hand that fed him and produced, in that inverse and masochistic logic of Hollywood, a fresh demand for his screenwriting services. It remains a cult favorite in Hollywood, was one of the ten books that John Gotti reportedly ordered from jail, and was adapted into a movie -- starring William H. Macy, Meg Ryan and L.L. Cool Jay -- that premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Subsequently, he has divided his time between screenplays and novels, publishing The Dreyfus Affair in 1992, his darkly comic look at homophobia in baseball as a historical analog to anti-Semitism in fin de siecle France, which The Walt Disney Company has optioned twice and let lapse twice in fits of anxiety about what it says about the national pastime and, by extension, Disneyland. He is hopeful that a major(or even minor) motion picture will be made from it in his lifetime. The book continues to sell well in trade paperback -- it's in its fifteenth printing, and, as such, acts as a small but steady cottage industry for its author, who, at this point, would almost rather keep optioning it than have it actually made. But not really.
In 1994, he published Di And I, a heavily fictionalized version of his love affair with the late Princess of Wales. Princess Diana's own stepgodmother, Barbara Cartland, who was herself no slouch when it came to publishing torrid books, declared Di And I "ghastly and unnecessary," which pushed the British edition briefly onto the best-seller lists. Di And I was optioned by Fine Line Pictures, in 1996, and was quietly abandoned after Diana's untimely death the following year. Someday it may reach the screen -- when poor Diana is no longer seen as an historical icon but merely as the misunderstood and tragic figure that she was, devoured by her own popularity.
Abbreviating Ernie, his next novel, was inspired by his brief brush with notoriety after the appearance of Di And I. At the time he was harassed by the British tabloids and spent seven excruciating minutes on "Entertainment Tonight." He was subsequently and fittingly bumped out of People Magazine by O.J. Simpson's white Bronco media event of June, 1994. In a paroxysm of misplaced guilt, the editors of "People," to make amends, declared it a "Beach Read," which helped put the book ephemerally on the Best Seller lists during the summer of 1994. Anecdotally, however, the author spent a lot of time combing the beaches that summer without seeing a single person reading his book.
Lefcourt's research on a movie for HBO about the 1995 Bob Packwood canard was the germ for his next novel, The Woody. He began to see that the former senator's battle with the Senate Ethics Committee was a dramatization of the total confusion in America regarding appropriate sexual behavior for politicians. Packwood became the sacrificial lamb -- taking the pipe for an entire generation of men. Basically, he got his dick caught in the zeitgeist. After President Clinton got his caught in a younger zeitgeist, nearly costing him his job, The Woody became all the more topical. It asks the question: What is the relationship between a politician's sexual competence and his popularity in the polls? If Packwood had been as smooth as Clinton, he would be the majority lead
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 2, 2022
Purgatory Gardens: A Review
Peter Lefcourt
Set in a Palm Springs condo filled with retirees, this novel brings us the story of a love triangle where only two of the angles are set firmly in place.
“Two of them [angles Sammy and Didier] wanted to kill each other in order to fuck the third one [former film actress, Marcy, who quite loves their attention.]” Enter the father and son team of hit men. And the hit men hit man (yes!)
The characters are well developed, and go on to have rotating chapters devoted muchly to them. The prose is smooth and simple, and often humourous, but I am most taken by the way the author rotates the chapters. Often, events are presented from the personal points of view, but not always at the same time. One character can pick up an event, carry it forward, and we see where it came from. Another character might take it from there and we see where it goes. Neither character might be aware of the complete sweep. I found this way of filling in the blanks to be very entertaining.
Overall, I enjoyed the book immensely and hated (sorta) to read it to the end. Alas.
Peter Lefcourt
Set in a Palm Springs condo filled with retirees, this novel brings us the story of a love triangle where only two of the angles are set firmly in place.
“Two of them [angles Sammy and Didier] wanted to kill each other in order to fuck the third one [former film actress, Marcy, who quite loves their attention.]” Enter the father and son team of hit men. And the hit men hit man (yes!)
The characters are well developed, and go on to have rotating chapters devoted muchly to them. The prose is smooth and simple, and often humourous, but I am most taken by the way the author rotates the chapters. Often, events are presented from the personal points of view, but not always at the same time. One character can pick up an event, carry it forward, and we see where it came from. Another character might take it from there and we see where it goes. Neither character might be aware of the complete sweep. I found this way of filling in the blanks to be very entertaining.
Overall, I enjoyed the book immensely and hated (sorta) to read it to the end. Alas.
March 7, 2020
I read this during my Kindle Unlimited binge, and K.U. Has some excellent books but also mediocre and worse. This one fits into the latter category. It's supposed to be hilarious. It's mildly amusing at best. It's not very P.C., but it's real failure is that it is boring. At least it was to me. There was too much explaining of background. And two bad guys are looking to hook up with one washed-up actress. Light and fluffy with a little bit of dark undertones, but not entertaining enough for me.
March 17, 2024
This was the first book I have read by Peter Lefcourt and I loved it. I had been looking for a cmic fiction writer, and it seems good writers are few and far between. This fit the bill perfectly, as a West Coast version of a Carl Hiiasen novel. The similarities between the 2 are numerous, with wacky, off-beat characters in an off-beat plot that is so silly, yet seems believable when thinking of Californians.
I will definitely read more of his books.
I will definitely read more of his books.
July 19, 2017
Nice little summer read.
Simple story but fairly well developed. Entertaining poolside reading. Set n the extraordinary community of Palm Springs, the author nails a retirement culture that thrives or simply exists there.
Simple story but fairly well developed. Entertaining poolside reading. Set n the extraordinary community of Palm Springs, the author nails a retirement culture that thrives or simply exists there.
August 28, 2018
Repetitive
Three characters should have three different angles. This was more of three characters with almost the same angle. Very repetitive in a not so great way. The story was okay.
Three characters should have three different angles. This was more of three characters with almost the same angle. Very repetitive in a not so great way. The story was okay.
January 4, 2021
Entertaining. Nice flowing cadence.
Easy to read. Comfortable seamless plot progression chapter to chapter with wit and plausible comedic character interplay through the lives of 3 feisty senior citizens. Que Sera Sera! Carpe Diem ... and how!!!
Easy to read. Comfortable seamless plot progression chapter to chapter with wit and plausible comedic character interplay through the lives of 3 feisty senior citizens. Que Sera Sera! Carpe Diem ... and how!!!
August 1, 2024
Suspenseful.
I like the way the characters each have their own chapter in the book from time to time. This way you got to know each one better and what each one was thinking. The last chapter had twists and turns which made it fun to read.
I like the way the characters each have their own chapter in the book from time to time. This way you got to know each one better and what each one was thinking. The last chapter had twists and turns which made it fun to read.
November 25, 2018
A really fun book to read. I enjoyed it, and recommend it. Lots of chuckles.
May 9, 2023
What fun!
What a great fun read! The characters are perfectly developed and the story is a hoot. I wish this was a thousand pages.
What a great fun read! The characters are perfectly developed and the story is a hoot. I wish this was a thousand pages.
May 20, 2023
Review
Very odd at times and lenthy then got back into what was happening but interesting and strange ending otherwise good read
Very odd at times and lenthy then got back into what was happening but interesting and strange ending otherwise good read
February 8, 2025
A wild and wacky ride, which often had me laughing out loud. This was a very fun read.
April 29, 2016
Peter Lefcourt writes very funny books. The humor is usually dark and his books are much more character-driven than plot-driven. In fact, only Lefcourt's "The Woody" - published in the late 1990's and is about Washington politics - has as much plot development as character development. It is one of the funniest, most satirical books I've read.
Lefcourt writes both stand-alone books and books reusing old characters. It's always fun to learn what old friends in literature are up to these days, and in "Purgatory Gardens", we do see Charlie Berns again. But instead of being the lead character as he was in previous novels, Charlie is more of a secondary character, though one whose actions do add a boost to the story. The three main characters - Marcy Gray, a fading Hollywood actress, Sammy Dee, a low-level Mafia guy now in the Witness Protection Program, and Didier something-too-long-and-complicated-to spell - are all residents at "Paradise Gardens", a mid-level apartment complex in Palm Springs. All are in their late 60's and all are on the run from various troubled pasts. They wind up in Palm Springs - Charlie Berns is their common neighbor - and a love triangle evolves. Both Sammy and Didier are in love (and lust) with Marcy and are at odds at how to capture her love - and body.
Lefcourt's characters are always interesting in a sort of deranged way. Even when they're doing something stupid - as in this case - or illegal, there's an almost lovable feeling to them. You want to know them and maybe have them as friends. Maybe you're smart enough not to want to be too entangled with them, but you'd like to have them in your life. And the safest way is as characters in a very funny novel, one you can reread every now and again.
Peter Lefcourt is a Hollywood insider whose knowledge of what's going on and how business really works is always on the pages of his "Charlie Berns'" books. "Purgatory Gardens" is another fun and charming novel by Lefcourt. I would also, again, recommend "The Woody" (not available in ebook, for some reason) and another novel I thought was outstanding, was "An American Family", published in 2012 and a serious look at a Long Island family which begins on November 22, 1963 and ends on September 11, 2001.
Lefcourt writes both stand-alone books and books reusing old characters. It's always fun to learn what old friends in literature are up to these days, and in "Purgatory Gardens", we do see Charlie Berns again. But instead of being the lead character as he was in previous novels, Charlie is more of a secondary character, though one whose actions do add a boost to the story. The three main characters - Marcy Gray, a fading Hollywood actress, Sammy Dee, a low-level Mafia guy now in the Witness Protection Program, and Didier something-too-long-and-complicated-to spell - are all residents at "Paradise Gardens", a mid-level apartment complex in Palm Springs. All are in their late 60's and all are on the run from various troubled pasts. They wind up in Palm Springs - Charlie Berns is their common neighbor - and a love triangle evolves. Both Sammy and Didier are in love (and lust) with Marcy and are at odds at how to capture her love - and body.
Lefcourt's characters are always interesting in a sort of deranged way. Even when they're doing something stupid - as in this case - or illegal, there's an almost lovable feeling to them. You want to know them and maybe have them as friends. Maybe you're smart enough not to want to be too entangled with them, but you'd like to have them in your life. And the safest way is as characters in a very funny novel, one you can reread every now and again.
Peter Lefcourt is a Hollywood insider whose knowledge of what's going on and how business really works is always on the pages of his "Charlie Berns'" books. "Purgatory Gardens" is another fun and charming novel by Lefcourt. I would also, again, recommend "The Woody" (not available in ebook, for some reason) and another novel I thought was outstanding, was "An American Family", published in 2012 and a serious look at a Long Island family which begins on November 22, 1963 and ends on September 11, 2001.
June 10, 2020
I have been a fan of Peter Lefcourt’s novels for years. When recently I realized I had not read any of his books for quite some time, I went looking to see if he had written anything in my absence. I found this book Purgatory Gardens, published in 2015. What a delight! Lefcourt is a master at social satire, often targeting the film industry and those who work in it, love in all its forms, and life in general. This tale is of a fading movie actress being courted by two men, one who is in witness protection, the other a con man. Together they live in a semi-seedy condo complex in Palm Springs called Paradise Gardens, or as the actress’s dearly departed friend once christened it, Purgatory Gardens. The novel is light and funny. Lefcourt has a knack for dialogue, providing appropriate voices for all his characters. For a reason I never discerned—perhaps only for the humor of it all—he uses both first and last names almost all the time when speaking of his three main characters. The author unravels an ingenious plot that I don’t think even the most mystery-savvy reader would ever expect. And with each twist, a turn far out in left field (but believable) comes. The book is a hoot. Satirizing business, show biz, the creeping of old age, law enforcement, and shady characters, the book is brilliant, a package all wrapped up in a good time and a fairly quick read. Perfect for a day out on the patio, which is where I read much of it.
July 15, 2016
This book was alright but it never got truly funny or even absurd, which is what I was expecting when I read what it was about. I think I will try one of the authors other books.
April 4, 2017
This is a fun little mystery. Quite humorous. Read it while staying in Palm Springs- where it takes place, which made it even more fun. I like the style of presenting chapters,from each character's perspective.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews