Falling onto Cotton

by Matthew E. Wheeler

A restauranteur is faced with a choice he thought he’d left behind when his dying uncle, a Milwaukee crime lord, taps him to become the next Don.

Successful restauranteur Charlie “Chance” McQueen has a host of problems: haunting memories of his fiancée’s death, blackout nights from drinking, affairs with two married women, and a high school buddy who’s an Assistant District Attorney tasked with taking down the Carmelo family.

The favorite nephew and last surviving relative of Don Carmelo, Chance has managed to skirt the edges of organized crime. But his “family” comes with obligations he doesn’t want. Give in to a life of crime or risk the wrath of his vengeful uncle. Not sure he can rescue himself; Chance focuses on rescuing others, including the employees of his restaurant, especially Winnie. Awkward, sweet, and soulful, 19-year-old Winnie is suspended in the inertia of waiting for life to begin and not being sure where to start. Navigating first love, parental loss, and trying to find purpose, Winnie knows he must grow up—while Chance is figuring out, he’s not quite the man he knows he needs to be.

326 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 8, 2020

About the author

Matthew E. Wheeler grew up in Wisconsin, where the winters can last a lifetime—and epic novels and movies of the 1970s and 1980s became his escape. After working for over twenty years in the restaurant and bar industry, Matthew turned to writing (with detours through rehab, marriage, and fatherhood along the way). He lives just outside of Seattle with his family, two dogs, three apple trees and is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. To find out all you ever wanted to know about Matthew and listen to mixtapes from Falling onto Cotton, please visit matthewewheeler.com.

Reviews

[Donna Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This is the most famous thing to happen in Milwaukee since Laverne and Shirley got cancelled.”

Chance McQueen is a musician and restaurateur, an honest man doing his level best to tiptoe around the morass of organized crime that exists around him without getting his toes wet. It isn’t easy. His ancient Uncle Vinny is the local don, and he’s dying. Chance has told him many times that he would prefer to avoid this part of the family business, but he’s been dreaming. Uncle Vinny has stage four lung cancer, and he summons his nephew to share some hard truths: "It's simple. Either you take over the family before I'm dead, or Frank will have you killed before my body's cold...Charles, when did you ever get what you want?"

This oddly charming debut came to me free and early, and my thanks for the review copy go to Net Galley and M.D.R. Publishing. This book is for sale now.

Wheeler’s debut reads as if scribed by a seasoned novelist, and he introduces a lively collection of memorable characters. Chance serves as mentor and father figure to Winnie, a dapper young man that has it bad for a sweet young thing named Alex; Geoff, his best buddy, who is Black and gay, and endlessly loyal; a homeless veteran living behind the restaurant, who is never a caricature; and Chance’s nemesis, Frank Bartallatas: “Frank Bartallatas was pure evil in a massive frame. More than one little fish had disappeared after swimming too close to Mr. Bartallatas.”

The story is set in 1990, and each of the agreeably brief chapters is headed with the title of a rock song from the 1970s and 80s, which is a portent of what the chapter brings. I like this guy’s playlist, and I stopped reading more than once to add his songs to my own collection.

Here are the things I like most, apart from the playlist: I like the strong, resonant characters, which are well enough developed that they are easy to keep straight; the setting, which hasn’t been overused by other writers, and is a credible choice; the selective use of violence, which cannot be left out of a story like this, but never feels excessive, sickening, or prurient; and the pacing, which never flags. In addition, I like the mobster aspect of this story, an angle that we aren’t seeing much in new fiction.

I have no serious complaints, but if I could change anything here, there are two things I’d tweak: First, Geoff practically can’t have a conversation with Chance without making awkward race jokes, and Caucasians that spend time with African-American people will tell you that never happens, no matter how close you are; and second, the alcoholic protagonist is becoming trite, so I’d either let Chance kick his habit without a protracted, detail-laden struggle, or I’d just let the guy drink. Chance’s dead fiancée is enough hubris all by herself. But clearly these are minor concerns, or this wouldn’t be a five star review.

This rock solid debut signifies great things to come from this author, and a little birdie tells me that there may be future novels featuring Chance McQueen. My advice to you is to get in on the ground floor of this series-to-be, because it’s going to be unmissable.

Highly recommended.

[MicheleReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chance McQueen is a successful restaurateur who abuses alcohol and enters into dangerous romantic relationships to make him forget what might have been. He had a loving fiancée and a promising musical career. He lost them both. While he’s a broken man, he generously helps others. He supports a women-in-crisis center, helps feed a homeless veteran and has befriended and mentors Winnie, a nineteen year old who has lost his father.

Chance’s uncle is the head of the Milwaukee mob and wants his nephew to take over the family business as his health is failing. While Chance has no interest in a life of crime, if he refuses, the current man next in line to take over, who hates Chance, will surely kill him.

Falling Onto Cotton is Matthew E. Wheeler’s impressive debut. The characters were well developed. The fast-paced story, which takes place primarily in 1990, was an enjoyable read. This is a dramatic story but the author has a good sense of humor, which is evident throughout. And a good taste in music. The music of the times is effectively used to head each chapter providing an enjoyable means of placing the reader in the era. You have to a smile when you see chapters titled by songs from The Rolling Stones (You Can’t Always Get What You Want), Nirvana (About A Girl), Coolio (Gangsta’s Paradise), Prince (When Doves Cry), Sade (Smooth Operator) and more.

I want to thank the author and NetGalley for an advance copy of Falling Onto Cotton. It’s worth a look.

Review posted on MicheleReader.com.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is always with some trepidation that I undertake reading a book from a new-to-me author, whether it is the author’s first or twentieth book. MATTHEW WHEELEER’s first book is entitled FALLING ON TO COTTON and there may well be a sequel coming. Even if the second book does not come to fruition, this is a good story, well written. The time for the story is 1990.

The author spent twenty years in the bar and restaurant business in Milwaukie, Wisconsin which is north of the city of Chicago in the upper Midwest of the United States. He now lives near Seattle, Washington in the Pacific Northwest. I give those geographic settings for readers not familiar with my country.

Chance McQueen is an enigma. He part Scottish and part Italian. He is a borderline alcoholic and does not always make the best choices in his life. His uncle, Vinnie Carmelo, heads up a Mafia style crime organization in Milwaukie. He is dying from double lung cancer. Vinnie had promised Chance’s mother that Chance would never enter the “family” businesses.

Instead, Chance owns a very popular, upscale Italian restaurant, Bella’s, located in the Knickerbocker Hotel where Chance also has a two-bedroom condominium. Makes for a sweet commute – get in the elevator, go downstairs to your office. Chance is a talented musician and singer who gave up a music career when when Ellie was killed.

In 1979, Chance’s fiancé, Ellie, had been shot to death in a gang-related assassination. Since then, nothing but short-term flings with women filled his love life. His most recent conquest was Sloan Bartallata, wife of Frank. The latter was Uncle Vinnie’s right hand man. Not a good recipe. Uncle Vinnie’s muscle was 300-pound Giorgio who is as fast with a gun as he is on his feet. A formidable foe.

Working as a team of parking attendants at the restaurant are Winnie, Alex, Hunter and Prez. They are 19-year-old friends who hang out together. Winnie and Alex are a heterosexual couple, sort of. Jed is an older homeless man, an ex-Marine and Vietnam veteran, who lives in the alley behind Bella’s. Chance takes care of him with food, cigars and alcohol. They are friends. In addition, working as a server at Bella’s, is Maggie a single mom to whom Chance is attracted. Geoff is a gay ex-Navy SEAL who is the headwaiter at Bella’s. He is Chance’s best friend. He had been married for thirteen years and had two kids before he came out of the closet.

Mitchell Genovese is a high school friend of Chance. He is an Assistant U.S. District Attorney. His mission is to bring to justice Uncle Vinnie and his gang. Beth Foster was the younger half-sister of Sloan who had been murdered in 1983 gangland style.

There is action, tension, romance to suit most readers. The book is well written and a quick read. Most of the musical references escaped me because it was pop music of the 80s and 90s, not my cup of tea. However, it was not a detriment to enjoying the story. I sure hope book two gets done. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

GO! BUY! READ!

[Jackie Kang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say, this was such a fun read. The author did a great job of melding the whimsy and humor of the 80’s with the seriousness of finding oneself involved in a crime drama. This story grabbed my attention from page one and held it, following Chance as he navigates through inappropriate relationships, threats from the mob, providing guidance to two wayward young adults, and battling addiction all the way to the last page. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this talented debut author!

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. For a story about mobsters, with violence, sex scenes (I skipped) I have to say it was a sweet book. The main characters were sweet and their motivations and innocence and wounds made them all very human. This was a book I needed to read, right at this time. Escape and smiles. I hope there is a sequel because these are people I would like to follow.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book prior to its publication.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

“He fixes everyone else’s lives and drinks to hide from his own.” This quote pretty much sums up the main character of Matthew E. Wheeler’s debut novel, Charles “Chance” McQueen. The story takes place mainly in 1990 in Milwaukee - before smart phones and ubiquitous internet - with some flashbacks to the late 1970s. (Another thing that really dates it - everyone smokes.)

Chance is a man torn between agreeing to follow his mob uncle, who is dying, or staying a restauranteur and do-gooder. The second theme of the novel is focused on two teenagers, Alex (female, short for Alexandra) and Winnie (male, short for Winston). The teenagers are drawn very well; they are real individuals, high school grads seemingly going nowhere (working as valets at the restaurant and hanging out at the local diner). There are two other friends who are also drawn very well, Prez and Hunter. These are not cardboard-cutout teens. There are quite a few other characters, including a plethora of gangsters, who, frankly, I had a bit of trouble keeping straight, plus a number of restaurant employees and Milwaukee citizens, who really came alive for me.

The author has used pop song titles for each chapter that set the tone for that chapter, mainly tunes from the 1970s and 1980s, appropriate to the time the novel’s story takes place: I Wanna Be Sedated; Coward of the County, Should I Stay or Should I Go, as examples. I found myself going back to the beginning of each chapter as I finished it, to remind myself of the song title being used, often eliciting a smile or recognition when doing so.

Serious subjects are covered along the way: the plight of Viet Nam vets, homelessness, drug abuse, alcoholism, and date rape, to name a few. Warning: some graphic violence and explicit sex scenes.

The title mystified me until fairly late in the book, when I came upon the following. “Sometimes life was like falling onto concrete. Those were the bad days, and no matter how bloody you were, you picked yourself up and stood tall. But sometimes life was like falling onto cotton. And on those days, you lay in the rich softness and warmth of your feelings.”

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and M.D.R. Publishing for an advance reader copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

[C.H. Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for my kind of literary novel - lots of character examination with a nod to genre fiction with its crime story backdrop. This book tells the parallel stories of Chance and Winnie, both flailing as they cope with life in the wake of loss. For teenage Winnie, it’s his dad. For Chance, it’s his fiance, gunned down by mob violence years prior.

The setting is urban Milwaukee in the late 1980’s, and there’s no doubt that author Matthew Wheeler has spent time there. The gritty neighborhoods come roaring to life through Wheeler’s prose. Wheeler also resurrects the 1980’s in a visceral way. The reminders are everywhere, from the descriptions of the cars and the bars, to the song titles he cleverly borrows to title his chapters.

Chance, the nephew of a mob boss, resists the pull of the family and builds a successful restaurant. But he can’t resist the pull of the bottle, or his series of failed superficial relationships.

Winnie is in his late teens and works for Chance as a valet. He is trying to find his way in life and love after the loss of his father. He has no concept of how to connect with his childhood friend Alex romantically. He loves her, but can’t get the nerve to say so.

As the novel opens, Chance gets a new set of problems. His uncle is dying and wants him to take over the family business. If he does, he becomes everything he abhors. If he doesn’t, his uncle’s top man, Frank, who’s been nursing a grudge against Chance for twenty years won’t hesitate to take him out. It doesn’t help that Chance flirts with disaster by sleeping with Frank’s wife.

Chance may not know how to deal with this conundrum, but he can easily distract himself with anyone’s problems but his own. Financially successful, he avoids facing all of it by helping others, particularly his employees and others in the community. He supports a homeless vet with clothing and food. He plays father figure to Winnie. He funds a women’s shelter. But violence is anathema unless he’s threatening the worthless boyfriend of his loyal waitress. Despite his assistance for others, Chance flounders in his personal life. He’s deeply wounded by the loss of his fiance and his missed shot at a singing career, but his successful restaurant, his careless flings, and the booze can’t save him.

This novel is an interesting mash up of Winnie’s coming of age story and Chance’s troubles with the mob. I found it intriguing that we got to see so many sides of Chance. Chance is by turn, a pillar of the community, benevolent, generous, sexy, clueless, ineffectual, and a drunk, as the point of view shifts from character to character.

As Chance’s story plays out, we watch Winnie develop into a courageous young man, strong in ways that Chance can’t seem to match, despite the difference in their age and experience. I had to keep reading to find out if and/or how Chance climbs out of the bottle, and what, if anything, could save him from the clutches of the mob.

If you enjoy an intense character study, Falling Onto Cotton could be the novel for you, especially if the backdrop of the Mafia and/or an enduring nostalgia for the 1980’s grips your soul.

[John Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling onto Cotton by the gifted new author Matthew Wheeler grabs the reader’s attention at the first chapter developing the characters and the plot line and continues to do so throughout the book.

Anyone who likes a central hero character faced with multiple challenges ranging from a member of a crime family, personal relationships, work relationships and a view from the bottom of a bottle of alcohol can enjoy this book.

The story of a transfer of power within a crime family where danger lurks at every corner and at one time a family killing of the woman and unborn child of our main character whom he loved, continued to have remarkable influence on decisions made in all area of his life.

As the competition to replace the Mafia Don reaches its climax, additional plots reveal themselves furthering the complicated life of our main character and telling the story of friendship and sacrifice.

I read many of these central hero character books from Connelly, Balducci, Cussler, and Patterson to Steve Berry and James Lee Burke and in Matthews book, the reader’s attention is held to the story line as each chapter keeps the reader involved, anticipating the next chapter until the unexpected conclusion of the story at the end of the book

A very enjoyable book with a great story line with interconnected plots and characters. Fast paced and extremely interesting.

I look forward to Matthews’s next book.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished Falling Onto Cotton, the debut novel from Matthew Wheeler and I really hated to see it end.

This is a good, solid debut. There is a little bit of everything in this novel and it is all pulled together quite nicely.

The main character is Chance, a restauranteur. He loves running his restaurant, the only problem is that he is the nephew of a Milwaukee crime boss and his uncle wants him to take over the business.

In addition to Chance, there are the mob characters, one of them named Frank, who hates Chance and knows that with Chance out of the way, he could take over the business.

There are also story lines featuring some of the people who work at the restaurant and a very sweet teenage boy named Winnie that Chance is taking care of.

There is a lot going on - mob issues, restaurant issues, love stories, friendships, affairs and yet it’s all handled so well.

A sign of a good book - when I finished the book, I realized that I wanted to know what happened next? Most of the characters are at a pivotal point in their life and I would like to see what they do next. Perhaps a sequel???

Oh, I almost forgot - the music!! Each chapter is titled with a song. I absolutely loved being reminded of atl the old songs and went around singing “I Fought the Law” the rest of the day after reading that chapter.

I received an ARC of the book.

[Ruth]

I'm still trying to figure out what to say about this book. I loved it but it's hard to say why--most likely because of the deep friendships and how things kept crossing over into love (platonic and otherwise). Then there were the mob guys and their violence (not so good) but definitely essential to the plot. For most of the book there was a movie running in my head alongside the reading, it was that real to me. Great characters! Leading the story was the emotionally damaged and alcoholic restaurateur Chance; love struck Winnie; shy Little Cat; the staff at the restaurant; Jes, the homeless vet. Without any one of them the book wouldn't be nearly as good.

Thank you to #Netgalley who graciously provided an advance copy of this book for review.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, this one’s worth reading. A mob book that's really a series of love stories. While I was intrigued with the mob family angle, it was the main character Chance's struggle to pull himself away from the brink of alcoholism and deal with his demons that hooked me. That, and watching the way Chance mentors a young boy, Winnie, falling in love with his best friend, Alex, a girl haunted by an assault, struggling to find her voice. Written with grit and tenderness, which is a hard combination to pull off, with the 80's as a backdrop, the references will take you back and make you feel like you're air drumming to Queen playing on your Walkman. A great first novel. I can't wait to see what comes next.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling onto Cotton is a fantastic debut novel from Matthew E. Wheeler. It's fast paced, funny with interesting characters that will keep you hooked from the first page.

As someone who wasn't alive in the late 80's/early 90's and has never set foot in America, I thought the sense of place, setting and time were well created. Although the plot centres around the mob, at its core, this story is about the relationships around Chance and his development (something that will always be a sure-fire winner for me!)

I absolutely recommend this read and hope to see more from Matthew E. Wheeler sooner rather than later.


*I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Alexa James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling Onto Cotton was the perfect heart warming story to end the summer during this pandemic. As a millennial that never got to live during the 80s, Matthew really gives the perception of experiencing the era. While the story was suspenseful at times it never ceased to hold your attention & keep the reader wanting more. I found the character development to be my favorite thing and very relatable at times, even for a 24 year old. All in all it was thought provoking and very enjoyable and I can't wait to read it again and maybe again!

[Melissa Rousseau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this read. The witty "commercial breaks" and 80's music connections were a great walk down memory lane for this child of the 1980s. It easy to like Chance McQueen and understand his struggles and root for him! Looking forward to a sequel!

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling Onto Cotton is a book that demands your attention. It certainly captured mine. The author, Matthew Wheeler, created a poignant story centered on relationships of all stripes. These dramas are played out against a background of violence, crime, love, hate, and hopeful resolution. All of the characters are well-drawn and enlist our empathy and optimism. Falling Onto Cotton is a terrific distraction that reminds us of what humanity is capable of being.

[Sandy thyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book as a net galley and loved it I read it in 2 days it was so good. The story was simple and interesting. I can’t wait to see more from this author.

[Julie Booklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this debut book by this author. The story takes place in Detroit in the ’80s, the mob and all its elements are here. Chance McQueen has had rotten luck in life and some of his choices have not been the best. It is his relationship with Winnie, a fatherless teen, that kept me reading. Navigating life as a teen, first love, and self-discovery for both.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Sometimes IRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book for me because I seldom read books to do with the mob and I’ve never even watched The Godfather. So, I’m afraid that many of the references in this book would have gone over my head.

Still, this was a pretty enjoyable read! Falling Onto Cotton by Matthew E. Wheeler had quite an interesting premise, of what would you do if you didn’t want to take over the mob that your uncle is trying to pass down to you. I was expecting lots of hijinks and this didn’t disappoint!

However, this really isn’t a thriller in that the action is pretty limited and the main focus of the story really is the relationships that Chance has with his family, employees, and friends. Most of the aforementioned hijinks were spaced out throughout the book to keep the book from becoming too heavy as loss and trauma were prevalent themes. Although I like a good examination of characters and relationships, I kind of wish a little more attention was paid to the machinations within the mob. That’s just me though. Maybe I just want to have my cake and eat it too, to have a book that’s both literary fiction and high on thrills..

If I’m not wrong, this is Wheeler’s debut novel and it is a solid offering. Definitely looking forward to his future works as polishes his craft!

Diversity meter:
Fleshed out Black character
Mental illness

[Gulshan B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish this one.

While the writing style was easy, and possibly even almost a breeze to read, the actual content left a lot to be desired. There are forced interventions of language and phrases that simply don't belong to 1990, and then there's the oft-seen timeline skip between 1990 and 1979, without much context or any visible connect.

Of course, literary liberty - one might say. And, usually I'd agree. But quite a lot of what I read is simply not displaying enough of a storyline for me to even try to stick to it.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass on this one.

[J.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rich, gritty story. Can't wait for Wheeler's next book.