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Ο εκτελεστής
Ο Σίντνεϊ Χόλντεν είναι επαγγελματίας φονιάς. Το αφεντικό του είναι ο Μπρούνο Σατζ, ένας Ελβετός που ζει στο Παρίσι. Από εκεί κανονίζει τους φόνους που ο Χόλντεν εκτελεί στη Νέα Υόρκη. Γυναίκα του Χόλντεν είναι η Αντρούσκα που όμως τον άλλαξε με τον Σατζ, χωρίς να πάρει διαζύγιο από τον Χόλντεν. Έτσι έχουν τα πράγματα μέχρι που ο Χόλντεν αναλαμβάνει να ελευθερώσει τη Φέι Αμπρούτζι, τη νύφη-ερωμένη του περιφερειακού εισαγγελέα της συνοικίας Κουίνς στη Νέα Υόρκη, από τους γκάγκστερς απαγωγείς της. Είναι δυνατόν ένας που ντύνεται στο στιλ του Δούκα του Ουίνδσορ να είναι ηρωικό άτομο; Είναι δυνατόν ένας φονιάς να νικήσει τις δυνάμεις του κακού, τους Μπαντίντος, τους παράφρονες φονιάδες που ο Κάστρο έβγαλε από τις φυλακές της Κούβας και δρουν στο Κουίνς; Όλα είναι πιθανά στον κόσμο του Τζερόμ Τσάριν, ακόμα κι ένας δυνατός έρωτας ανάμεσα στον Χόλντεν και τη Φέι.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
7 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Jerome Charyn
221 books230 followersJerome Charyn is an award-winning American author. With more than 50 published works, Charyn has earned a long-standing reputation as an inventive and prolific chronicler of real and imagined American life.
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon calls him "one of the most important writers in American literature." New York Newsday hailed Charyn as "a contemporary American Balzac," and the Los Angeles Times described him as "absolutely unique among American writers."
Since the 1964 release of Charyn's first novel, Once Upon a Droshky, he has published thirty novels, three memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short stories, plays, and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were named New York Times Book of the Year.
Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture. Charyn is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Film Studies at the American University of Paris.
In addition to writing and teaching, Charyn is a tournament table tennis player, once ranked in the top ten percent of players in France. Noted novelist Don DeLillo called Charyn's book on table tennis, Sizzling Chops & Devilish Spins, "The Sun Also Rises of ping-pong."
Charyn's most recent novel, Jerzy, was described by The New Yorker as a "fictional fantasia" about the life of Jerzy Kosinski, the controversial author of The Painted Bird. In 2010, Charyn wrote The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson, an imagined autobiography of the renowned poet, a book characterized by Joyce Carol Oates as a "fever-dream picaresque."
Charyn lives in New York City. He's currently working with artists Asaf and Tomer Hanuka on an animated television series based on his Isaac Sidel crime novels.
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon calls him "one of the most important writers in American literature." New York Newsday hailed Charyn as "a contemporary American Balzac," and the Los Angeles Times described him as "absolutely unique among American writers."
Since the 1964 release of Charyn's first novel, Once Upon a Droshky, he has published thirty novels, three memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short stories, plays, and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were named New York Times Book of the Year.
Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture. Charyn is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Film Studies at the American University of Paris.
In addition to writing and teaching, Charyn is a tournament table tennis player, once ranked in the top ten percent of players in France. Noted novelist Don DeLillo called Charyn's book on table tennis, Sizzling Chops & Devilish Spins, "The Sun Also Rises of ping-pong."
Charyn's most recent novel, Jerzy, was described by The New Yorker as a "fictional fantasia" about the life of Jerzy Kosinski, the controversial author of The Painted Bird. In 2010, Charyn wrote The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson, an imagined autobiography of the renowned poet, a book characterized by Joyce Carol Oates as a "fever-dream picaresque."
Charyn lives in New York City. He's currently working with artists Asaf and Tomer Hanuka on an animated television series based on his Isaac Sidel crime novels.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 28, 2013
I’m still at a loss with this book – so redolent with action, suspense, place and the overwhelmingly complex character of Sidney that it’s hard to just place it in a single set of thoughts. A surprisingly detailed yet unemotional character, he is an enforcer for his employer: with a penchant for high quality suits and always looking his best, the conflict of appearance and action are just one of the many juxtapositions in this gripping tale. Add in a mix of paranormal and near fanatic religious belief, a turf war and the seedy underbelly of back alleys and quiet side streets in New York and this book jumped from one situation to the next without taking a breath.
As an introduction to Charyn’s work, this was a winner for me as even the minor characters have some interesting detail that sets them apart and lets them breathe, while the non-stop action made it a page turner. I couldn’t foresee a possible outcome; there were far more players than play, every character with an angle and intention. Sidney’s ability to negotiate the different personalities, threats and locations made him one interesting guy to know, and difficult to read with his chameleon-like ability to best situate himself in most encounters. A clever book that will entertain and thrill as you struggle to work out the mysteries within.
I received an eBook from Publisher via NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own responsibility.
As an introduction to Charyn’s work, this was a winner for me as even the minor characters have some interesting detail that sets them apart and lets them breathe, while the non-stop action made it a page turner. I couldn’t foresee a possible outcome; there were far more players than play, every character with an angle and intention. Sidney’s ability to negotiate the different personalities, threats and locations made him one interesting guy to know, and difficult to read with his chameleon-like ability to best situate himself in most encounters. A clever book that will entertain and thrill as you struggle to work out the mysteries within.
I received an eBook from Publisher via NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own responsibility.
December 4, 2012
Jerome Charyn has always written to his own tune–highly original and starkly violent at times, his books are inspired by a childhood growing up in the Bronx. As is common in Charyn’s work, Paradise Man is a strange blend of fantasy and thriller in which he introduces a slew of seedy and offbeat characters, as well as their dirty motives and crooked games. The protagonist is Sidney Holden, a well-dressed killer who is hired to kill those who don’t pay their debts. But things change rapidly for Holden. After a routine murder, Holden finds a young girl cowering under the table. Not only is she a witness to the murders, but she also happens to be hailed as a Santaría priestess by the Cuban community. Unable to kill her, he takes her with him, sparking a turf war that might not leave anyone alive.
February 18, 2020
Characters too off the wall for any level of believability. Quit reading 1/3 of the way through.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews