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Professional wheel man Charles "Shake" Bouchon is too nice a guy for the life he's led and not nice enough for any other. Fresh out of prison, he's supposed to deliver a package to Vegas strip-club owner Dick "the Whale" Moby and pick up a briefcase for Shake's former boss and lover, Alexandra Ilandryan, pakhan of L.A.'s Armenian mob. But when the "package" turns out to be Gina, a wholesome young housewife, Shake decides to set her free—a move as noble as it is boneheaded.
Now Shake and Gina are on the run in Panama—looking to unload the briefcase's unusual contents while outmaneuvering two angry crime bosses, a heartbroken ex-linebacker, and a sadistic thug plagued by erectile superfunction. And Shake's learning that Gina is less wholesome and more complicated than he initially imagined.
Lou Berney is an accomplished writer, teacher, and liar who has written feature screenplays and created TV pilots for Warner Brothers, Paramount, Focus Features, ABC, and Fox, among others. His short fiction has appeared in the New Yorker, Ploughshares, the Pushcart Prize anthology, and other publications. His first novel, Gutshot Straight, was named one of the ten best debut crime novels of the year by Booklist and nominated for a Barry Award.
C_Bishara
Posted April 3, 2010
Gutshot Straight is an action-driven, masterfully written maze of backstabbing and betrayal--don't blink or you'll miss some serious duping, drugging, stealing, and/or seducing. Berney is a master at propelling the story forward, with one devious character trumping another at every turn. Despite their obvious moral shortfalls (we're talking criminals, strippers, mafia, murderers here), Berney's cast of characters is likable. You'll even find yourself rooting for the bad guys (and girls), who are alluring even if it's just for their smarts and sexiness. The violence is never graphically over-the-top, so even when these bad guys are at their worst, it doesn't become a distraction or downfall. Berney's film and TV writing experience show--in the best of ways--throughout this novel. It's efficient, visual, and there are enough references to music that you can practically hear the soundtrack. A great read.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.After spending three years behind bars, Charles "Shake" Bouchon is freed by the State of California. He loathed his time in prison and vowed to stay clean by opening up a restaurant.
In Los Angeles powerful Armenian mob kingpin Alexandra Ilandryan offers Shake a chance to make some money. He accepts the work from his former employer to deliver a package to associates in Vegas and return with a briefcase. However the package he is bringing to insane mob mogul Dick "the Whale" Moby turns out to be Gina Clement, who claims to be a housewife, but is a con artist who shammed Moby Dick. Instead of completing the delivery, Shake decides to run away with Gina and some rare valuable religious icons with irate mobsters from two states, their hit men, and others with a grudge against one or both of the couple on the lam. However, Shake soon realizes the most dangerous of the bunch is his running companion.
Any moment readers will expect to find Elmore Leonard driving the vehicle as this great crazy crime caper will remind the audience of the great author's wild rides. The story line is fast-paced, seemingly out of control at times (though never happens), and filled with zany action. The cast is strong especially the lead couple and the mob leaders as Lou Berney proves "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Harriet Klausner
3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 11, 2012
Not a boring page, and kept me guessing til the end.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 12, 2012
I enjoyed it...good read. Sucks you right into the story and characters. Good humor. Fun and adventurous...free for me courtesy of free fridays! Thanks B and N!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 19, 2012
Criminal fun
2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 13, 2012
This was a fast paced action/adventure. I could really see it working well as a movie. I just never got into it until the end. I don't know if that was because of any flaw in the story. It may just be that this is not the genre for me. I''m usually more of a murder mystery reader. I just tried this because it was free. If this is your genre, you will probably not be disappointed.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 22, 2013
Three stars!!
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 9, 2013
Loved the characters, keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time
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Posted January 9, 2013
Good read....
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 28, 2012
I loved it, got it on a free friday, was a very catching riveting drama. I was thoroughly satisfied, not to mention riveted, by the way the author wrote the book and created the scenes of each unique environment. I just wish Whiplash wasnt $10.99. But, such is life, I know that I personally, and you should too, watch where Lou Berney goes with his writing: Straight to best sellers, I sure do hope.
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Posted September 11, 2012
Read it all the way rhrough, fell asleep reading it. Liked the character Shake, rhe only thing I liked about the book.
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 31, 2012
Loved it! Im so glad i found this book! Thanks BN for a great free friday book!
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 3, 2012
Don't trust anyone, enjoy every day and money isn't everything. Enjoyed this book.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged. A cardinal rule of poker is drawing to a “gutshot straight” (needing one card to fill a run of 5) is a poor bet. One has only, at best, a 1 in 12 chance of being dealt the needed card. Such odds do not offer sufficient likelihood of winning to wager anything. This humorous, violent, of-no-redeeming-value-beyond-being-an-enjoyable read, debut novel could not have had a better title to tell of what awaits the reader when she/he begins reading it.
The story opens with Charles Samuel “Shake” Bouchon finishing a fifteen-month sentence in Mule Creek, California correction facility for a crime he committed The crime was not sufficient to merit the sentence, what DID merit it was the fact that Shake did not “rat out” his accomplices. He is a professional driver and his clientele are in need of being driven away, quickly, from their last “appointments.” Upon reaching the end of his bus trip from prison, he is picked up by the person for whom he last worked (and did not give up to the authorities). Stepping into the limo, Shake KNEW it was not a good idea to be in contact with this person, but his options were limited and at 42, he was used to making poor decisions.
The job this time was simple - drive a car to Las Vegas, do not look in the trunk, fly back to Los Angles and collect the $20,000 fee. Of course he looks in the trunk, certainly he finds a beautiful young lady tied up there and without a doubt this begins one of the most fun, funny, convoluted, unexpected crime novels I have read since Beat the Reaper (but it is not as good as the Reaper). The cargo(s) being transported, the reasons they are of importance, who wants what and to what end is the heart of the tale. There are biblical passages, Catholic traditions and a whole new subculture mentioned in the course of the work of which I had either never heard, had reason not to know and/or hope DO NOT exist. All of which add to the web woven in the crafted story the author has created.
Told from the view points of the many characters that populate the story, the reader gets to ride from L.A. to Las Vegas to Panama sorting out the double crosses, underhanded motives and resolutions as they “happen.” This makes for a rapidly evolving story that kept me hooked from the first moments. There is one “good guy” in the book, and his experience is one of the most memorable of the entire journey, the rest of the cast are varying shades of “shady,” to put it mildly. There is blood aplenty and more “adult” language than would be found in common conversations. When the action arrives in Panama, the book almost becomes a travel brochure for that country. The ending held some surprises, which made the book steps above “typical” expectation.
This being a debut effort (the e-book read had an excerpt from the author’s second “Shake” novel), I hope Mr. Berney’s sophomore effort lives up to the promise of his initial offering. If so, I will be visiting Central America at least as frequently as a Mr. Berney allows Shake to say hello.
Anonymous
Posted July 22, 2012
O.M.G....this book was hilarious, fast paced and exciting.....
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.jujubee1
Posted July 18, 2012
Better than I thought it would be. Double crossing and good criminal fun.
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Posted July 16, 2012
Story isn't too bad in itself but the language is just too filthy.
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 11, 2012
I loved this book. Dastardly characters I actually liked and non-stop double and triple crossing. A mystery within an adventure within a detective like plot I had trouble putting down. Worth the read.
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Posted July 8, 2012
Looking forward to more Janek!
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Posted July 4, 2012
I couldn't find a single character to cheer for, but kept searching for at least one until the very end. It seemed to me that all of the characters were anti-heros. The book resembled early, pre-violence-ratings, TV shows with copious murders per episode. Sadly, some of characters still remained alive at the end of the last page. A classic tragedy ending up with everyone dead could have been more satisfying. I should have abandoned the book after the first few pages, but apparently I'm too dumb to quit.
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
Professional wheel man Charles "Shake" Bouchon is too nice a guy for the life he's led and not nice enough for any other. Fresh out of prison, he's supposed to deliver a package to Vegas strip-club owner Dick "the Whale" Moby and pick up a briefcase for Shake's former boss and lover, Alexandra Ilandryan, pakhan of L.A.'s Armenian mob. But when the "package" turns out to be Gina, a wholesome young housewife, Shake decides to set her free—a move as noble as it is boneheaded.
Now ...