Squeeze

by Chris Rhatigan

Scumbag newspaper reporter Lionel Kaspar aimlessly wanders from one scam to the next. Trying to claw his way to anywhere, Kaspar fabricates news stories and blackmails a local bureaucrat. What little success Kaspar stumbles upon he wastes betting on sports and drinking. But when Greg Hulas, his competitor, starts investigating him, Kaspar becomes desperate to maintain his position.

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2016

About the author

Chris Rhatigan is the co-publisher of All Due Respect Books. He is the author of the novellas The Kind of Friends Who Murder Each Other, Squeeze, and Race to the Bottom. He lives in India.

Reviews

[Rory Costello · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Due Respect Books -- which is the baby of "Squeeze" author Chris Rhatigan -- is expressly not about likable heroes. It's about losers, bums, and amoral sleazebuckets. Lionel Kaspar, the protagonist here, is a bottom feeder. He has (as far as I can tell) no redeeming qualities other than intelligence -- though that could be classified more as cunning. He's also not as clever as he thinks he is, which is what helps drive the story. All in all, he's like a cut-rate Tom Ripley. But the thing about Ripley was that in a weird way, you still pulled for him to get away with his capers, and so it is with Kaspar.

The backdrop of low-level journalism helped this tale a lot. As a Connecticut native, that setting was enjoyable for me; same goes for the sports subtext. The cliffhanger ending makes me want another Kaspar "scam" too. Plus, I enjoy reading Rhatigan for the unusual angles from which he comes at writing.

[Paul Brazill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lionel Kaspar quits his safe-but-dull health department job and bullshits his way into a journalist's position at a local newspaper.  However, Kaspar soon realises that it's much easier - and more profitable- to just make up stories rather than do any actual reporting.

Chris Rhatigan's Squeeze is just great. Lionel Kaspar is one of the sleaziest and most amoral fictional creations of recent times and easily one of of the most enjoyable. Imagine Melville's Bartleby crossed with Henry Chinaski and Tom Ripley and you're halfway there.

Squeeze is smart, askew,  laugh out loud funny, and, of course, not for those of a delicate sensibility.

Five stars.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novella sized story that is so compellingly written it's hard to put down. Something about the slacker character captured in the first person narration just captures his character. It's all about the adventures of a slacker who wants a payday but doesn't want to strain himself working. Answering phones at the health dept- makes up any response he pleases. Working as a reporter - same deal - make up any story he pleases and spend his time in the local bar. Rhatigan gets this guy - gets his motivations - and gets you as the reader to see things from this SOB's point of view.

[Mimi Davis Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A News Reporter's Life

This is a funny and enjoyable story. Great use of the written word, but what else would be expected from a story on news reported?. Great characters and easy l flowing storyline.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Noir

Chris Rhatigan's latest, Squeeze, is a real noir treat. Lionel Kaspar is exactly the perfect character for this type of tale--unethical, deplorable, and lacking any moral code. It was entertaining to watch him navigate his way into a career as a journalist, and then witness him year it all down around him. Rhatigan nails the addictive type--incessant smoking, gambling, and the like--as well as adeptly flexing his knowledge of news reporting in its current state and city government. Excellent read. Couldn't put it down. Hope Mr. Rhatigan is burning the midnight oil writing his next one.