4.0 out of 5 stars ALLBOOKS REVIEWS, January 17, 2010
By Jan Whitford (Jamestown, Rhode Island)
Right out of the gate, I gotta say that I really like this author's style and voice! And you get the feel of it right away when he describes flipping off a driver with a cell phone plastered to his ear in a traffic gridlock, a "fifteen-mile-long phone booth". Soon after, the rest of the story explodes--non-stop action peppered with a plethora of vivid descriptions mixed with snappy dialogue just bursting with humorous tongue-in-cheek contemporary satire.
Mark, our protagonist, is a lowly grocery clerk. Trapped in a loveless marriage, he's looking to Crystal (his Taco Bell soul mate) to improve his life. When his old best friend from high school shows up, things look sort of promising but that's when the bottom drops out because Mark is falsely accused of the double murders of Crystal and his boss. In order to wiggle out of a 75-year prison sentence, he unwittingly becomes enmeshed in the Mafia. As the book jacket describes: "With breathless pacing and heart-pounding action, Greg Przywara's IVD has twists and turns that bring this bada-bing, exciting novel to an explosive and dramatic ending." The book jacket also tells us that Mr. Przywara is a writer and food industry worker, living in Wisconsin where he wrote two screenplays and is currently working on his second novel.
Well, by now you've probably guessed that I'm recommending this book, especially for readers who love good contemporary dialogue and tons of action. Geez, we even get Mafiosos who're capable of decapitating the statue of Harry Carey at Wrigley Field for Pete's sake. And during a real roller coaster ride of non-stop action, we're treated to a lawyer "full of mechanical regret", a homicidal school shooter, bullying cops, FBI pests, snarling pit bulls, dramatic fires, exploding DVDs, torrents of bullets, paramedics, silent-but-deadly flattulism, and even an obtuse connection with Al-Quaida. All this, Mr. Przywara deals out skillfully with his original literary style, weaved around ingenious sports allusions, betrayal and ultimately--redemption. Finally, I have a question. We all know that protagonists are good guys, right? That being the case, you think our hero will swab a guy's eyes permanently open with a Q-tip and Superglue, just to get information? Well, I guess you'll just have to read the book to find out.
Recommended by reviewer, Jan Evan Whitford ALLBOOKS REVIEWS
IVD is available in hardcover from Amazon, B&N, and in e-book format from a number of online retailers.
Author's website: http://www.squidoo.com/my-novel-IVD
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