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Bad Boy Boogie
When Jay Desmarteaux steps out of from prison after serving twenty-five years for murdering a vicious school bully, he tries to follow his convict mentor's advice:
the best revenge is
living well.
But questions gnaw at his gut: Where have his folks disappeared to? Why do old friends want him gone? And who wants him dead?
Teaming with his high school sweetheart turned legal Valkyrie, a hulking body shop bodybuilder, and a razor-wielding gentleman's club house mother, Jay will unravel a tangle of deception all the way back to the bayous where he was born. With an iron-fisted police chief on his tail and a ruthless mob captain at his throat, he'll need his wits, his fists, and his father's trusty Vietnam war hatchet to hack his way through a toxic jungle of New Jersey corruption that makes the gator-filled swamps of home feel like the shallow end of the kiddie pool.
But questions gnaw at his gut: Where have his folks disappeared to? Why do old friends want him gone? And who wants him dead?
Teaming with his high school sweetheart turned legal Valkyrie, a hulking body shop bodybuilder, and a razor-wielding gentleman's club house mother, Jay will unravel a tangle of deception all the way back to the bayous where he was born. With an iron-fisted police chief on his tail and a ruthless mob captain at his throat, he'll need his wits, his fists, and his father's trusty Vietnam war hatchet to hack his way through a toxic jungle of New Jersey corruption that makes the gator-filled swamps of home feel like the shallow end of the kiddie pool.
352 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 2017
53 people are currently reading
421 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Pluck
55 books122 followersThomas Pluck has slung hash, worked on the docks, trained in martial arts in Japan, and even swept the Guggenheim museum (but not as part of a clever heist). He hails from Nutley, New Jersey, home to criminal masterminds Martha Stewart and Richard Blake, but has so far evaded capture. Wallace Stroby called his novel BAD BOY BOOGIE "a vivid dose of New Jersey noir with heart, soul and muscle.“
Joyce Carol Oates calls him “a lovely kitty man.”
He is also the editor of the Protectors anthologies to benefit PROTECT: The National Association to Protect Children.
You can find him on the web at www.thomaspluck.com and Twitter as @thomaspluck
Joyce Carol Oates calls him “a lovely kitty man.”
He is also the editor of the Protectors anthologies to benefit PROTECT: The National Association to Protect Children.
You can find him on the web at www.thomaspluck.com and Twitter as @thomaspluck
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 6, 2018
Bad Boy Boogie is a crime thriller on crazy steroids. It starts with a fairly classic situation of a con being released from prison and feeling his way out in the real world, bent for a bit of revenge on those who left him to rot in prison all these years. Of course, Jay can't stay out of trouble -not even for a second. He was taught a bully only gets to come at you once and he'll learn never to make that mistake again. Jay gives it back so hard no one can believe what this guy is capable of.
But, what makes this story such a standout is that it paints a picture of the outside world which is just as much a trip through hell as prison life was. Flashbacks take Jay back to young love with Ramona, who now lives in a mansion. Back to a nightmarish childhood in the bayou. Issues of trust, loyalty, courage, cowardice, and bullying all appear. In the real world, no one stands up to the bullies as long as it's someone else who is the wounded prey. And, it's not just his enemies who betrayed Jay, but nearly the whole damn town. It's a whole twisted past that is told in one gut-punch after another. Thomas Hobbes said that life outside society would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." But, boy, he ought to see what life inside society can be for some.
But, what makes this story such a standout is that it paints a picture of the outside world which is just as much a trip through hell as prison life was. Flashbacks take Jay back to young love with Ramona, who now lives in a mansion. Back to a nightmarish childhood in the bayou. Issues of trust, loyalty, courage, cowardice, and bullying all appear. In the real world, no one stands up to the bullies as long as it's someone else who is the wounded prey. And, it's not just his enemies who betrayed Jay, but nearly the whole damn town. It's a whole twisted past that is told in one gut-punch after another. Thomas Hobbes said that life outside society would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." But, boy, he ought to see what life inside society can be for some.
February 13, 2017
This may not be everyone's cup of tea but it was right up my alley. Pluck writes with an endearing passion that makes the story a total pleasure to read. Gritty and raw, I couldn't put this one down.
Having grown up in the mid-atlantic myself, a lot of the fluff in this book was relatable for me. There's a scene where two characters are sharing cold rich frosted chocolate Entenmann's donuts and remarking about the "snap" of the chocolate shell. That chocolate shell snapping is absolutely one of my favorite food sensations. Having grown up fighting my father for the last donut in the box, I still enjoy a box of these sugar bombs once in awhile. It was nice to read that someone else has had the same blissful experience. Had to stop reading myself and read that passage out loud to my husband who thought I had written it myself :)
I sincerely hope Pluck decides to make this one a series. Would love to read about Jay's next adventures.
Perfect choice for fans of Joe Lansdale.
My copy was provided by NetGalley but my opinions are my own.
Having grown up in the mid-atlantic myself, a lot of the fluff in this book was relatable for me. There's a scene where two characters are sharing cold rich frosted chocolate Entenmann's donuts and remarking about the "snap" of the chocolate shell. That chocolate shell snapping is absolutely one of my favorite food sensations. Having grown up fighting my father for the last donut in the box, I still enjoy a box of these sugar bombs once in awhile. It was nice to read that someone else has had the same blissful experience. Had to stop reading myself and read that passage out loud to my husband who thought I had written it myself :)
I sincerely hope Pluck decides to make this one a series. Would love to read about Jay's next adventures.
Perfect choice for fans of Joe Lansdale.
My copy was provided by NetGalley but my opinions are my own.
June 1, 2018
Explosive crime fiction about Jay Desmarteux's mission of vengeance on the people who railroaded him into a 25 year prison sentence for murdering a viscous bully. Hard hitting thriller you won't soon forget. Hopefully, this won't be the last we see of Jay Desmarteaux.
February 6, 2017
I got to read an ARC if this book and it is fantastic! Thomas Pluck’s writing is high performance. He doesn’t waste a sentence, a word, or an idea propelling his story forward in a way that drives like he’s behind the wheel of a precision car built by Eddie Bunker and tricked out by Andrew Vachss. Pluck juxtaposes Jay Desmarteaux’s past and present in a way that gives this tough guy protagonist the kind of real flesh and bone—and most of all heart and intention—that other writers can only aspire to. I’ve been a fan of his writing for a long time, but BAD BOY BOOGIE is the kind of explosive book that makes life long fans. I guarantee I won’t ever miss a thing Thomas Pluck puts out, and neither should you!
July 2, 2017
Everyone has an opinion about New Jersey, even if all you know is Springsteen, The Sopranos, or Jersey Shore. As someone that has lived in all of Jersey's border states and even lived in the Pine Barrens for a year, Jersey is far more complicated than the Turnpike rest stop you are probably thinking of. Forget everything you know about Jersey and let Thomas Pluck give you a tour of his slice of the Garden State.
Pluck's Bad Boy Boogie (Down & Out Books) is a character-driven novel about Jay Desmarteaux, but it is also a novel pushed on by the town and people of Nutley, New Jersey. Pluck skillfully tells the story of Jay, a con recently released from prison for killing the rapist-bully son of the Nutley's Mr. Potter. By my count, there are four timelines woven throughout Bad Boy Boogie: the five-year-old Jay, the teenager Jay, the prison Jay, and the ex-con Jay. To say that Pluck handles popping in and out of the timelines well would be an understatement. What makes Bad Boy Boogie work is Pluck's ability to give each story its own vibe without being obtrusive.
The five-year-old Jay lives in a world of monsters and things he cannot understand, somewhere between fairy tales and King-like shit:
The terror does not disappear in Pluck's version of Jay's coming-of-age shit, after all, there's a teenage bully roaming free throughout Nutley doing horrible things to the younger kids of the town. Jay's time in prison is the most linear and matter-of-fact of Pluck's writing but it stands up well against the other stories. The present-day story that is filled with action of Jay's revenge and, as with the other story lines, there's some pretty dope lyrical prose as well. Here is Jay working as a bouncer at a strip club.
As you read Pluck's Bad Boy Boogie, the novel gets better page by page and, even if you find it disturbing, you keep going on. If you don't think shit can happen, brace yourself because it's gonna happen. My reading of Bad Boy Boogie turned into a slow read as I wanted to enjoy all of Pluck's words as much as Jay enjoys the rippers at Rutt's Hut. With the roots of Bad Boy Boogie deep in Jersey, Pluck gives us a great crime thriller filled with energized action and harrowing deceit.
Pluck's Bad Boy Boogie (Down & Out Books) is a character-driven novel about Jay Desmarteaux, but it is also a novel pushed on by the town and people of Nutley, New Jersey. Pluck skillfully tells the story of Jay, a con recently released from prison for killing the rapist-bully son of the Nutley's Mr. Potter. By my count, there are four timelines woven throughout Bad Boy Boogie: the five-year-old Jay, the teenager Jay, the prison Jay, and the ex-con Jay. To say that Pluck handles popping in and out of the timelines well would be an understatement. What makes Bad Boy Boogie work is Pluck's ability to give each story its own vibe without being obtrusive.
The five-year-old Jay lives in a world of monsters and things he cannot understand, somewhere between fairy tales and King-like shit:
Fingers with broken nails brushed back his bangs. Revealed the Witch’s rotten smile. Just a kiss, just a kiss. The boy grabbed the doorknob and the Witch yanked him by the ankles. Dragged him along the moldy carpet toward a pair of oil-stained work boots.
The Gator man.
The terror does not disappear in Pluck's version of Jay's coming-of-age shit, after all, there's a teenage bully roaming free throughout Nutley doing horrible things to the younger kids of the town. Jay's time in prison is the most linear and matter-of-fact of Pluck's writing but it stands up well against the other stories. The present-day story that is filled with action of Jay's revenge and, as with the other story lines, there's some pretty dope lyrical prose as well. Here is Jay working as a bouncer at a strip club.
Jay stood in a corner of the club, reading the swarm of bodies like he was still in the prison yard. Fear in their body language, the macho posturing of men drunk on overpriced liquor and the power of a handful of dollars. The trapped eyes of dancers working the hustle.
As you read Pluck's Bad Boy Boogie, the novel gets better page by page and, even if you find it disturbing, you keep going on. If you don't think shit can happen, brace yourself because it's gonna happen. My reading of Bad Boy Boogie turned into a slow read as I wanted to enjoy all of Pluck's words as much as Jay enjoys the rippers at Rutt's Hut. With the roots of Bad Boy Boogie deep in Jersey, Pluck gives us a great crime thriller filled with energized action and harrowing deceit.
February 2, 2017
I would like to thank Netgalley and Down And Out Books for an advance copy Bad Boy Boogie, an everyday tale of violent revenge in small town New Jersey.
Jay Desmarteaux was jailed as a teenager for the brutal murder of local bully, Joey Bello. 25 years later, thanks to some changes in the law, he is out, free and clear. He is, however, holding a grudge against certain people who left him to carry the can alone all those years ago, so all the money, tickets to New Orleans and threats will not stop him.
Bad Boy Boogie is a tightly written, cleverly plotted novel with flashbacks to Jay's life as a child in New Orleans, a teenager in New Jersey and as a prisoner to explain his character and motivations. Unfortunately it did little for me as I felt no affinity to his character and struggled to understand his thought processes as he battles his opponents. I have no objection to fictional violence and this is an extremely violent novel but Jay is supposed to be smart and I feel he could have used his brain a bit more and his fists and anything else to hand a little less and it would have made for a better read. There isn't even any of the humour which leavens many novels in the same vein.
This is not a bad book and the characterisation is interesting. Jay Desmarteaux is undoubtedly a psychopath with his own moral compass but the other characters' self interest and self preservation, or cowardice as Jay sees it, make the novel more readable.
Jay Desmarteaux was jailed as a teenager for the brutal murder of local bully, Joey Bello. 25 years later, thanks to some changes in the law, he is out, free and clear. He is, however, holding a grudge against certain people who left him to carry the can alone all those years ago, so all the money, tickets to New Orleans and threats will not stop him.
Bad Boy Boogie is a tightly written, cleverly plotted novel with flashbacks to Jay's life as a child in New Orleans, a teenager in New Jersey and as a prisoner to explain his character and motivations. Unfortunately it did little for me as I felt no affinity to his character and struggled to understand his thought processes as he battles his opponents. I have no objection to fictional violence and this is an extremely violent novel but Jay is supposed to be smart and I feel he could have used his brain a bit more and his fists and anything else to hand a little less and it would have made for a better read. There isn't even any of the humour which leavens many novels in the same vein.
This is not a bad book and the characterisation is interesting. Jay Desmarteaux is undoubtedly a psychopath with his own moral compass but the other characters' self interest and self preservation, or cowardice as Jay sees it, make the novel more readable.
June 27, 2017
If you have any doubt that bloody violence and truly despicable human behavior (rape, child abuse, incest, etc.) can be written with grace and humor, "Bad Boy Boogie" will put your doubts to rest. Jay Desmarteaux didn't begin his life as a killing machine. He has memories of being a loved child – and maintains a strong allegiance to those who did right by him, including his Papa Andre, his Mama Angeline and his high school sweetheart Ramona, but some other people "just need killing." Having done his time, Jay would like to return to simply living, ideally with some of the people he still trusts. Only his small New Jersey town won't let him forget – and turns out to be as much of a gator-infested swamp as anything he can remember from his tortured Louisiana childhood. Before long, Jay is at it again, wreaking furious vengeance on evil doers and those who support them, and learning that very little he believed in was true. Any book that gets me to read beyond a beheading with an ax gets extra points...
March 21, 2017
When Jay Desmarteux exits prison after serving twenty-five years for killing a vicious school bully, he steps into a world that has, in many ways, left him behind. His parents have disappeared, his friends are reluctant to engage with him, and the local bigwigs want him out of town. A Louisiana native, Jay's got no love for his adopted New Jersey home town (unless you count his childhood sweetheart, Ramona) but he's got debts to settle before he'll head south. What follows is a complex story that's heartbreaking, violent, subtly funny, and above all, well-told.
In Desmarteaux, Pluck has succeeded in creating a nuanced character that is both naive and yet incredibly street smart. While Desmarteux has experienced some of the worst life has to offer and done things that are morally hard to reconcile, the twenty-five years he's spent in prison makes him a bit wide-eyed and innocent as he re-discovers life on the outside. This contrast is key to getting the reader to take his side. Like his protagonist, Pluck doesn't pull punches--there is nothing watered down here. And speaking as a writer, I admire and applaud Pluck for, as they say, going there. BAD BOY BOOGIE showcases in wonderful detail Thomas Pluck's talent for observing life and distilling it into a terrific story with a cast of memorable characters.
In Desmarteaux, Pluck has succeeded in creating a nuanced character that is both naive and yet incredibly street smart. While Desmarteux has experienced some of the worst life has to offer and done things that are morally hard to reconcile, the twenty-five years he's spent in prison makes him a bit wide-eyed and innocent as he re-discovers life on the outside. This contrast is key to getting the reader to take his side. Like his protagonist, Pluck doesn't pull punches--there is nothing watered down here. And speaking as a writer, I admire and applaud Pluck for, as they say, going there. BAD BOY BOOGIE showcases in wonderful detail Thomas Pluck's talent for observing life and distilling it into a terrific story with a cast of memorable characters.
October 19, 2017
BAD BOY BOOGIE delivers. The characters are so real you can almost smell them. The writing is crisp and clean,like an Angus Young solo, some great riffs,but never gets too full of itself. While all this sounds like your typical adrenaline fueled crime thriller there's a dark heart motoring underneath. Reading Jay Desmarteaux's tale made me wonder can revenge fantasies erase the nightmares of the past? Pluck does an excellent job telling a kick ass crime story with a heart break tale of secrets, lies, and the meaning of family.
June 7, 2017
Pluck has a great series on his hands and I'm curious to see where it goes. He manages to visit the "ex-con in the real world" sub-genre with aplomb, handling it deftly and also adding a few new wrinkles to the genre. Worth your time if you're a crime fiction fan.
August 12, 2017
An absolutely fantastic read. Highly original.
March 27, 2017
If you want a decent crime thriller to read over a weekend, then Bad Boy Boogie is it.
The main character in the novel by Thomas Pluck is a violent, hot tempered convict just released from prison after twenty five years for a murder he committed when sixteen years of age.
Jay Desmarteaux, a Cajun with mystery lineage, returns to the area of the murder to extract revenge, make things right and to find out why those he thought were his friends betrayed him.
The novel is like a pulpy, high octane, smack to the head-like stories found in old black and white movies.
The book is violent, but in a noirish way and which comes with the territory.
Highly recommended.
The main character in the novel by Thomas Pluck is a violent, hot tempered convict just released from prison after twenty five years for a murder he committed when sixteen years of age.
Jay Desmarteaux, a Cajun with mystery lineage, returns to the area of the murder to extract revenge, make things right and to find out why those he thought were his friends betrayed him.
The novel is like a pulpy, high octane, smack to the head-like stories found in old black and white movies.
The book is violent, but in a noirish way and which comes with the territory.
Highly recommended.
August 17, 2017
Bad Boy Boogie
Mysterious Book Report No. 296
by John Dwaine McKenna
For all of my adult life, New Jersey was a place I landed in and took off from at Newark International, rented a car and headed up the Garden State Parkway, bound for the family homestead in the Catskills. Jersey was a place overcrowded with traffic, bad roads and wretched, impatient, sue-happy drivers . . . somewhere I wanted to pass through as fast and expediently as possible. Then came The Sopranos on HBO, and years later, Boardwalk Empire, plus another network show about the Shore which showed the Garden State in a more entertaining fashion that softened my attitude and improved my feelings some. Now, comes a new novel that takes all that Jersey swagger and epic bad-assiveness to a whole new level . . . to the utter delight of every crime fiction lover who reads it.
Bad Boy Boogie, (Down and Out Books, PB, $17.95, 334 pages, ISBN 978-1-943402-59-5) by Thomas Pluck, takes place in Nutley, just across the Hudson River from New York City, and begins when forty-something Jay Desmarteaux comes back to town after a twenty-five year jolt in the Jersey State Prison at Rahway for murdering a savage, psychopathic, vicious high school bully. Jay’s come back to the scene of the crime to pick up the pieces of his life and extract a measure of revenge by living well, in the words of Okie, his mentor while in the penitentiary. Unfortunately for Jay however, the father of the boy he killed is now the Mayor, who burns with desire to extract a revenge . . . as does the Chief of Police and several of his officers. Now grown-up, they were the dead boys high school posse, and all of them want to inflict some pain on their old enemy, Jay Desmarteaux. Jay just wants to have a job, find his missing adoptive parents and tête-à-tête with his old girlfriend, but she’s married the rich kid who testified against him at the murder trial. As if that’s not enough to deal with, there’s an organized crime captain, who wants Jay gone, or dead. Maybe both. All Jay has left to fight with are his wits, a tomahawk his father carried in the Viet Nam war and the friendship of Tony, a bullied follower back in high school, now a bulked up gym rat and owner of an auto repair business catering to high-end performance cars. The task is near-impossible, the odds of Jay coming out alive slim, and the corruption bottomless in this electrifying piece of stylish and tough as tough can be, cutting edge noir. Bad Boy Boogie lives up to every aspect of its name and carries that theme through to the end. It’s one awesomely entertaining summer read and Thomas Pluck is a writer we’ll be on the lookout for from now on because his tough guy writing is so good and his characters are so bad!
Mysterious Book Report No. 296
by John Dwaine McKenna
For all of my adult life, New Jersey was a place I landed in and took off from at Newark International, rented a car and headed up the Garden State Parkway, bound for the family homestead in the Catskills. Jersey was a place overcrowded with traffic, bad roads and wretched, impatient, sue-happy drivers . . . somewhere I wanted to pass through as fast and expediently as possible. Then came The Sopranos on HBO, and years later, Boardwalk Empire, plus another network show about the Shore which showed the Garden State in a more entertaining fashion that softened my attitude and improved my feelings some. Now, comes a new novel that takes all that Jersey swagger and epic bad-assiveness to a whole new level . . . to the utter delight of every crime fiction lover who reads it.
Bad Boy Boogie, (Down and Out Books, PB, $17.95, 334 pages, ISBN 978-1-943402-59-5) by Thomas Pluck, takes place in Nutley, just across the Hudson River from New York City, and begins when forty-something Jay Desmarteaux comes back to town after a twenty-five year jolt in the Jersey State Prison at Rahway for murdering a savage, psychopathic, vicious high school bully. Jay’s come back to the scene of the crime to pick up the pieces of his life and extract a measure of revenge by living well, in the words of Okie, his mentor while in the penitentiary. Unfortunately for Jay however, the father of the boy he killed is now the Mayor, who burns with desire to extract a revenge . . . as does the Chief of Police and several of his officers. Now grown-up, they were the dead boys high school posse, and all of them want to inflict some pain on their old enemy, Jay Desmarteaux. Jay just wants to have a job, find his missing adoptive parents and tête-à-tête with his old girlfriend, but she’s married the rich kid who testified against him at the murder trial. As if that’s not enough to deal with, there’s an organized crime captain, who wants Jay gone, or dead. Maybe both. All Jay has left to fight with are his wits, a tomahawk his father carried in the Viet Nam war and the friendship of Tony, a bullied follower back in high school, now a bulked up gym rat and owner of an auto repair business catering to high-end performance cars. The task is near-impossible, the odds of Jay coming out alive slim, and the corruption bottomless in this electrifying piece of stylish and tough as tough can be, cutting edge noir. Bad Boy Boogie lives up to every aspect of its name and carries that theme through to the end. It’s one awesomely entertaining summer read and Thomas Pluck is a writer we’ll be on the lookout for from now on because his tough guy writing is so good and his characters are so bad!
March 30, 2017
Thomas Pluck's harrowing tale has at its core how the abused become abusers. The hero of the story, Jay Desmarteaux, is able to cast off that yoke -- but his psyche is damaged not only by his childhood suffering but also false imprisonment. There's a "Count of Monte Cristo"-type revenge story going on as well...but it's set in New Jersey! Pluck takes enjoyment in providing all manner of little authentic Garden State details. As seen in his other work, he's also adept at presenting two-fisted action.
I was more impressed with a previous Pluck novel, "Blade of Dishonor" -- but I was glad I read this, even though it ratchets up the discomfort level quite high at times. Puck's credo is "unflinching fiction with heart," and he continues to live up to it. Also recommended are his "Denny the Dent" stories; in fact, Denny makes a cameo appearance in "Bad Boy Boogie".
I was more impressed with a previous Pluck novel, "Blade of Dishonor" -- but I was glad I read this, even though it ratchets up the discomfort level quite high at times. Puck's credo is "unflinching fiction with heart," and he continues to live up to it. Also recommended are his "Denny the Dent" stories; in fact, Denny makes a cameo appearance in "Bad Boy Boogie".
March 21, 2017
A taste of Cajun revenge served up hot in New Jersey
Bad Boy Boogie (featuring Jay Demarteaux) by Thomas Pluck
Down and Out Books
“You’re an animal. A hate machine. Killing’s all you’re good at. Aim you at something and you tear it apart, don’t find nothing but shreds in your teeth…”
“Reckon so.” The corner of Jay’s mouth curled…
Sentenced to life as a teenager for killing the school bully, twenty-five years in, Jay Demarteaux is released to civilian life. He returns to the scene of his crime and the crimes which led to it, Nutley, New Jersey. His mission, first to find his family and then to attend to some righteous revenge. Righteous, you may ask. Pluck answers that question with a novel full of disturbing flashbacks of child molestation, sexualized teen bullying and assault, and rape/sodomy, silences and cover-ups. This material is handled in a thoughtful, non-exploitive manner. The consequences of the abuse are graphically illustrated with broken damaged lives. Some people, as Demarteaux believes, just deserve to be killed.
Thomas Pluck is an action writer, fight scenes, break ins and car chases are rendered with believable cinematic precision. He also keeps a sense of humor about things, it is not all darkness. Whether describing a mobster – “Dante Mastino had hound-dog eyes, a forehead that recalled Easter Island moai, and hands fit for scooping gravel pits. His hand-tailored suit hung off him like cave bear pelts.” Or thoughts on a high school reunion, “They say it gets better,” Brendan said, eyeing the room. “That’s a load of shit. It gets bitter, if anything. You get used to it. Most people turn into bigger versions of the little assholes they were in school.” In another instance, his characters consciously recall the Blues Brothers while they rip up a country club with their vehicles. It is not a linear story but as told we see Demarteaux as an exploited child, as a fall guy induced like many juveniles to confess with false promises, a fresh fish in prison guided and educated by an older con, after release, used by the mob and his former girlfriend, and hunted by corrupt police and a powerful politician. Armed with his father’s Vietnam era Hatchet and a Case Rebone Trapper, Jay Demarteaux sets out to make things right.
Plucks writing has an edge of artful realism, when he makes you laugh and when he makes the reader cringe. If you are a fan of AC/DC, you are doubly lucky. Bad Boy Boogie is further proof that Thomas Pluck is the real deal.
This book was received from Down and Out Books via NetGalley for review.
REVIEW: “BAD BOY BOOGIE” BY THOMAS PLUCK
DOWN AND OUT BOOKS
AVAILABLE MARCH 20, 2017
October 9, 2017
We meet Jay Desmarteaux when he is released from prison after serving 25 years of a life sentence for killing a school bully. His release has been paid for by an old friend who then tries to get him out of town. Jay refuses and gets himself a normal job, but everyone who knew him way back when keeps telling him he's not wanted and he should just leave.
The description of the book is a little misleading. Jay doesn't try to get his revenge by living well. He gets his revenge by killing everyone who screwed him over. He killed the bully in defense of his friends, but they all hung him out to dry at the trial, leaving him to take the rap alone. Almost immediately, he begins stalking and systematically eliminating these cowards.
The story is told in present day and flashbacks to Jay's childhood before and during the tormenting by the bully. Pluck sets a breakneck pace, but I began to jumble who was on Jay's side and who wasn't. It didn't help that in the present day some of the characters' motivations were a bit of a muddle. After a while, I started to notice repetition in word use. Everything in a 50 page stretch smelled like sulfur, and almost every character's face at one point experienced rictus.
Pluck created some interesting characters and is a propulsive writer, so I'd say this book is a 3.5 instead of a flat 3. It's a very pulpy and violent revenge thriller of the kind you don't see much anymore.
The description of the book is a little misleading. Jay doesn't try to get his revenge by living well. He gets his revenge by killing everyone who screwed him over. He killed the bully in defense of his friends, but they all hung him out to dry at the trial, leaving him to take the rap alone. Almost immediately, he begins stalking and systematically eliminating these cowards.
The story is told in present day and flashbacks to Jay's childhood before and during the tormenting by the bully. Pluck sets a breakneck pace, but I began to jumble who was on Jay's side and who wasn't. It didn't help that in the present day some of the characters' motivations were a bit of a muddle. After a while, I started to notice repetition in word use. Everything in a 50 page stretch smelled like sulfur, and almost every character's face at one point experienced rictus.
Pluck created some interesting characters and is a propulsive writer, so I'd say this book is a 3.5 instead of a flat 3. It's a very pulpy and violent revenge thriller of the kind you don't see much anymore.
August 28, 2021
I don't like to know too much about a book when I start it. Sometimes that backfires on me. Somewhere, sometime, I had seen something about witches and Louisiana in relation to this book. When I started reading it I was expecting voodoo, supernatural, paranormal, etc. When reading it, it become clear why I might have thought this from some sort of blurb I read about it, but it is nothing like that at all.
This book is solidly in the modern crime, mystery and noir genres. It is pretty dark. Bad things happen to good people. Bad things also happen to bad people. It was much heavier that I was looking for right now. If I had read it at a different time, it might have made 5 stars and it has been a long time since I've even considered giving a book 5 stars.
While reading the book I kept thinking that it felt a little like an Andrew Vachss novel. When I finished I glanced at the credits and was surprised (yet not surprised) to see a thank you to Andrew Vachss for his support. I would also like to thank him for his support of Thomas Pluck. In this book Pluck has created a tight, gripping, and disturbing work of fiction.
Lately I've been reading a lot of fantasy & horror. The one thing I was reminded of while reading this book is that people are the real monsters and as Jay would say, some of them just need killin'.
This book is solidly in the modern crime, mystery and noir genres. It is pretty dark. Bad things happen to good people. Bad things also happen to bad people. It was much heavier that I was looking for right now. If I had read it at a different time, it might have made 5 stars and it has been a long time since I've even considered giving a book 5 stars.
While reading the book I kept thinking that it felt a little like an Andrew Vachss novel. When I finished I glanced at the credits and was surprised (yet not surprised) to see a thank you to Andrew Vachss for his support. I would also like to thank him for his support of Thomas Pluck. In this book Pluck has created a tight, gripping, and disturbing work of fiction.
Lately I've been reading a lot of fantasy & horror. The one thing I was reminded of while reading this book is that people are the real monsters and as Jay would say, some of them just need killin'.
November 28, 2017
Be warned- a Thomas Pluck book is for people who love their crime drama down and dirty: bloody, bone-cracking fights, rough sex with the wrong people, revenge, and dysfunctional people who harm everyone around them. Makes for a boiling gumbo of strong ingredients. If you like your action hot and heavy, with fast cars and flashing weapons, you'll love this work. The protagonist is a man fresh out of prison and looking for payback for many of the wrongs done to him- specifically, the reason he was sent away. The people in his hometown don't want to be reminded of their sins, so he is beset by a host of baddies, and makes it worse since he refuses to back down. He jams himself into a hornet's nest of corruption, greed, and sadism, and the results are explosive.
And all his past hurts come bubbling to the surface in brutal flashbacks, revealing horrific secrets long buried.
So now you know- are you ready for the Bad Boy Boogie?
And all his past hurts come bubbling to the surface in brutal flashbacks, revealing horrific secrets long buried.
So now you know- are you ready for the Bad Boy Boogie?
February 7, 2019
BAD BOY BOOGIE is a breakneck ride through small town corruption as Jay Desmarteaux is recently released from prison for a crime he very much committed. What follows is Jay's return to the small town where he grew up and where it seems every body has a secret to keep.
Where Pluck excels is that Jay isn't a one-note character bent on bloody minded revenge, but a three dimensional character, who, though deeply cracked, manages to stay clear eyed and focused. Its a tale of someone who wasn't really a criminal before prison, and what twenty-five years inside can do to a person. It shows what happens when the rich and powerful who think they can't be touched have their face ground into the damage they've caused.
If you enjoy the ex-con on a revenge kick narrative, you're going to want to give this one a go.
Where Pluck excels is that Jay isn't a one-note character bent on bloody minded revenge, but a three dimensional character, who, though deeply cracked, manages to stay clear eyed and focused. Its a tale of someone who wasn't really a criminal before prison, and what twenty-five years inside can do to a person. It shows what happens when the rich and powerful who think they can't be touched have their face ground into the damage they've caused.
If you enjoy the ex-con on a revenge kick narrative, you're going to want to give this one a go.
February 22, 2025
Jay Desmarteaux has spent 25 years of his life incarcerated for killing a bully, first as a minor, then moved to Rahway prison as an adult.
He's been released a couple few years early, thanks to help from an old school flame and her hubby's money.
People keep encouraging him to stay out of the town where it happened, to go find his parents in Louisiana, where he was maybe originally from.
But first he has to settle some scores and learn the truth about the town and people and families he grew up with.
Had a hard time with this book, even having to start over 100 pages in - couldn't keep the characters and relationships straight.
He's been released a couple few years early, thanks to help from an old school flame and her hubby's money.
People keep encouraging him to stay out of the town where it happened, to go find his parents in Louisiana, where he was maybe originally from.
But first he has to settle some scores and learn the truth about the town and people and families he grew up with.
Had a hard time with this book, even having to start over 100 pages in - couldn't keep the characters and relationships straight.
February 11, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this novel.
This book does deal with some very heavy themes such as violence, but I feel it's worth the read! It was a nice escape as Jay (the main character) definitely does not think similarly to me, although sometimes I would close my eyes at a particular part, remember I'm reading, open my eyes and continue on. The characters and story itself were cleverly written & I enjoyed the ride I was taken on.
This book does deal with some very heavy themes such as violence, but I feel it's worth the read! It was a nice escape as Jay (the main character) definitely does not think similarly to me, although sometimes I would close my eyes at a particular part, remember I'm reading, open my eyes and continue on. The characters and story itself were cleverly written & I enjoyed the ride I was taken on.
April 14, 2022
Awful. I am throwing this book away to protect others.
The writer tries too hard to make descriptive text, so the reader is bogged down with too many adjectives and phrases. Then, goofy plot lines...one is where the protagonist (the "bad boy" as we learn from slowly revealed episodes of his unendurable childhood) kills, some for "good reason" and others for little reason.
The romance part makes little sense as well.
Ick.
The writer tries too hard to make descriptive text, so the reader is bogged down with too many adjectives and phrases. Then, goofy plot lines...one is where the protagonist (the "bad boy" as we learn from slowly revealed episodes of his unendurable childhood) kills, some for "good reason" and others for little reason.
The romance part makes little sense as well.
Ick.
May 7, 2017
Pluck's got the reputation as the type who writes like a man possessed and he doesn't disappoint with his latest, Bad Boy Boogie. Pulpy, brazen, violent, and heaped with fantastic character moments (his biggest strength), Pluck manages to do what few writers ever manage to do to me lately - hold my damn attention to the last page.
Great read.
Great read.
August 26, 2024
What an exhausting book! After 25 years in prison for murder, Jay is released. In his 40's now, he has a chance to do something with his life. But he chooses to seek revenge on all whom he believes wronged him. The book switches tense from Jay's childhood, his prison years, to current day. So the storyline fluctuates between violence and sex during each of the three time periods.
March 30, 2018
Wish there was another Jay Desmarteaux novel in the series!
Awesome and entertaining! I wish this could somehoe become an ongoing series! Dark at times and packed with action! Loved it!
Awesome and entertaining! I wish this could somehoe become an ongoing series! Dark at times and packed with action! Loved it!
July 6, 2018
You gotta love a book about a revenge rampage. This book has attitude and mayhem in spades. And the bad boy hero has plenty of heart. You can't help but root for Jay Desmarteaux. One hell of a book. To be read...NOW.
November 16, 2018
A fantastic read full of plot twists, nonstop action and clever dialogue that will leave you howling at times. This thriller is as hard boiled as they come and left me gasping at times with its blend of violence and humor. I was never bored and may read it again some day.
April 10, 2021
I had a lot of fun with this one, especially in the first half. The second half was a it disjointed, but there’s some good potential here for a series. Will definitely give the next Desmertaux novel a spin when it comes out.
July 25, 2018
This is a wonderful tale of revenge. The frame up/set up that sent him to prison directs his focus. The plot line is dark & gritty. It’s a fun read for crime fiction fans.
April 2, 2020
Great New Jersey noir read. Propulsive, gritty, and hard. Enjoyed the ride.
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