Eddie's World

Kirkus Review Eddie Senta's world is out of whack and, as he'll be the first to tell you, he's got no one to blame but himself. It's all a matter of choices, see, and some of his recent ones have been about as sensible as picking a minefield for a Sunday stroll. But he's bored. He's been bickering with his much younger wife, second-guessing his performance as a father, shadowboxing with the problems he used to bang away at. Though he's good at his day job, word-processing, it's become his idea of blah, and since his night job, cat burglary, has grown almost as routine, Eddie, at 40-something, finds himself in the throes of midlife crisis. But that's no excuse for unmitigated dumbness, which is what you'd have to call the decision to go for a quick score when he needs neither the money nor the inevitable aggravation an inner voice instantly predicts. And does that voice ever have it nailed. Before Eddie can say second-story, he's the leading suspect in a triple murder. The cops are after him, his wife is leaving him, his boyhood friend (and current accomplice) is dead. Eddie's one last chance to set his madly tilting world to rights is to identify and catch up to the real killer-even though the perp is both connected and protected in ways you wouldn't believe. Fresh, fast, and darkly funny. A sure-footed debut from a writer with a spare, no-nonsense prose style who can make you like characters you think you shouldn't.

Eddie's World is the real deal. I'm not sure what the guy who wrote something below this review was thinking (especially since he wrote it twice), but this book sizzled. Go see the "Starred Kirkus" it received from Kirkus Reviews ... It's as good as his other two, the last of which was named to Publishers Weekly top mystery of the year 2003 (Charlie Opera). Can't wait for the next one.

So, what could go wrong when a wannabe decides to wind down his criminal career with one last heist? You got it -- everything. Eddie Senta, a part-time street guy and part-time word processor, finally decides to go legit after one last job, a simple heist -- a piece of cake, right? Wrong. Murphy's Law comes into play and Eddie finds himself embroiled in a triple homicide, an FBI manhunt and the daunting task of trying to prove his innocence while hunting down a ruthless killer. Who can't relate to a guy like Eddie -- he's like Job [biblical reference], but with an attitude. Momma mia! The book's plot is intriguing and unfolds nicely and Stella really does have a knack for dialogue (I noticed this mentioned in several of the other reviews). All in all, I thought the book was very entertaining -- interesting characters (wannabes, cops, gangsters and killers) and great story development. Fun read.

Charles Stella, with his very first novel, scores big. The best I've read in a long time, Stella's dialogue is fast and witty. If you like to laugh out loud, read this book! Stella is also the master of the "hook", making readers anxious to get to the next chapter. I look forward to reading anything Stella writes in the future. No doubt about it, this guy is going to be on the bestseller's list soon.

Eddie's World is the story of a man (Eddie Senta) on the fringes of two worlds: one legit and the other Organized Crime. Pressure is added when his wife wants to start a family. When the opportunity presents itself for a quick score, Eddie decides to go for the gusto and that's when the trouble begins. The "quick score" ends up getting Eddie implicated in a triple murder and puts Eddie and his family in extreme danger. The plot unwinds primarily through the author's (Charlie Stella) use of dialogue, and that's what makes this a fun read. If you like the works of Higgins or Leonard, you'll love the real dialogue that Stella uses to move the story along and define his characters.