Norm Green Dead Cat Bounce

Dead Cat Bounce

Norm Green

Harper, Aug 2006, $13.95

ISBN 0060851694

New York tough guy and conman Stoney has mixed feelings when his teenage daughter Marisa calls him to ask if she can see him in Manhattan. He readily agrees as he misses his former wife Donna who tossed him out as a worthless drunk and their children Marisa and Dennis. Marisa asks Stoney to check into Donna's new boyfriend Charles David Prior of affluent Alpine, New Jersey, who leers at her while mom has her head buried up his butt. She wants him not to beat up the connected to cops and politicians Prior, but to find something that she can use to drive the creep away from them.

He turns to his con mate Fat Tommy, who can get info on anyone, but fails to find anything not even a prior history on Prior. Another street pal Tuco joins them as the trio sets in motion a con to prove that Prior is nasty goods who will hurt their daughter while they also get some easy money. However, Marisa is right that the connected Creeper is dangerous when he wins and worse when he thinks he is losing so Stoney, Fat Tommy and Tuco know they must be extra careful when they pull off their sting.

Though Norman Green leaves the mean streets of Brooklyn (see SHOOTING DR. JACK) by moving Stoney and company to the mean streets of lower Manhattan and even meaner New Jersey, fans of the author will agree that DEAD CAT BOUNCE is a terrific urban Noir. Marisa sets the tone early when she tells her dad that he is the only person mean and tough enough to take on Prior. The action-packed story line is character driven especially by the three conmen as they go about taking apart a man they believe plans to exploit Donna and do something much worse to Marisa before he succeeds.

Harriet Klausner