Shooting Dr. Jack

by Norman Green

Troutman Street runs along the border of Brooklyn and Queens, in between neighborhoods, unwanted and unclaimed. For most people who do business there -- whether prostitues, drug dealers, or more legitimate entrepreneurs -- Troutman Street is the end of the line. But for Thomas Rosselli and his partner Stoney, it's just the location of another scam, the latest incarnation in a long series of endeavors that work the fringes of capitalism, the broad gray areas where the rash and unwary are prey to sharp teeth and sticky fingers. The junkyard on Troutman Street is the perfect place to fly under the radar of the tax man, the cops, and even the drug dealers and wiseguys who'd want a piece of the action -- if they could figure out what it is. Stoney thinks his biggest problem is the hangover he wakes up with every morning. He loves his wife and kids, but they're terrified of him. Even his cat hates him. Every time he gets behind the wheel of his car, he's rolling the dice; one more DWI and he'll do time for sure, and he can't afford that right now. His partner Tommy'd run the business right into the ground inside of six months -- or make them a fortune; no way to tell which. Thomas Roselli, a.k.a. "Fat Tommy," a.k.a. "Tommy Bagadonuts," is a large man, of large appetites. He knows the best restaurants in New York and how much to tip the maître d' in each one. He knows who to call if he really, really wants you sleeping with the fishes in the bottom of the East River. If you met Tommy, you'd remember him, but he'd remember you, your phone number, your wife's name, and what his chances with her are. And Tommy has a soft spot for any stray that comes along. Tuco is just such a stray. Now, thanks to Bagadonuts, he works in the junkyard on Troutman Street, and his life is about to go spinning into a new and more dangerous orbit. Unsure of himself, unskilled with women, and equally awkward with men, Tuco knows he'll learn more from these two in a year than he would in five years anywhere else, even if half of it he'd be better of not knowing. Tuco has a gift, one that will come in handy for Stoney and Tommy, maybe even save their lives, when people start dying on Troutman Street. But as he learns to use it -- and he struggles to walk the line between family, friends, and the law -- he almost forgets the first Watch your back. Written with the pulse of the city beating beneath its prose, Shooting Dr. Jack is compelling, powerful, and pitch-perfect, and Norman Green is an exciting new voice in contemporary fiction.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Norman Green reports this about himself: "I have always been careful, as Mark Twain advised, not to let schooling interfere with my education. Too careful, maybe. I have been, at various times, a truck driver, a construction worker, a project engineer, a factory rep, and a plant engineer, but never, until now, a writer." He lives in Emerson, New Jersey, with his wife.

Series:
* Alessandra Al Martillo Mystery

Reviews

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bare-knuckle literary thriller **never thought I would put those words together** that takes you into the dark shadows of human nature. A gritty portrayal of life on the streets. Quite the debut.

[Christina MacIsaac · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't get behind the characters. Some minor plot developments recieved more emphasis then the main storyline. It felt jumbled together. This might be better as a movie.

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a throwback to a different era. I kept having to look at the copyright page to remind myself it was written in 2002 and not 1972.

Everything from the loose non-structure to the considerable time spent on irrelevant character traits to the obvious, simplistic metaphors gave the feel of a 1970s "streetwise" literary novel. There is very little about the book that gives it a concrete place in the present. It is a contemporary novel that feels dated.

The lack of momentum and slow first half otherwise step on what could have been a much better book. There is a lot of good in this book, but it could use more craft. I'll definitely keep an eye on Green's other books.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time with this author. Very well written. I really didn’t want to like the characters in this this dark tale about the underbelly of NYC on Troutman St., but the writer skillfully seduced me to not only like them, but to root for them. I just might read another book by Norman Green

[Robert Natale · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only because I couldn't give it no stars. This is the worst fiction I've read in some time. Didn't care for anyone-----didn't even always fully get what was happening. Awful.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for a book I found on the street in Park Slope. And it takes place in Brooklyn.

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was a whole lot of description and not much action. I dont recommed reading it.

[Dennis Ansell]

I enjoyed the book, it held my interest right to the end, and beyond

[Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for the second time, enjoyed all the references to Brooklyn and the Bronx, all the bridges, expressways, etc. all so familiar from when I was a kid. Liked the characters so much.