Steel Toes

No kidding, Eddie's first [Another Day in Paradise] is fantastic. Having said that, I think his latest is even better. The voice is more refined, where it's still all tough, but with more focus. And I found a lot more hope in this one. Rock on, Eddie!

If you liked Another Day in Paradise, then Steel Toes is a must-read. Eddie Little is a modern day Beat writer who takes on gritty reality and serves it up raw. This guy writes from the heart, his tales are gripping, intense, and they take one into an underworld that few have experienced. I found the characters in this novel more developed and more real than in the first novel; particularly enthralling is the portrayal of the hit men in Steel Toes. As homicidal maniacs who profit from their sickness, the hit men come to life as real people, carrying the weight of the sickness but also capable of human emotions, love, friendship, while still you know in the back of your head that they make their living by taking the lives of others. An awesome experience to look inside their lives and that of the other characters in Steel Toes. I've no doubt that Eddie Little shaped these characters from real-life acquaintances, the characters are too compelling, too deep to have been concocted from his imagination. My only complaint is that Eddie Little can't write novels as fast as I can read them!

After reading Eddie's first novel, Another Day in Paradise, I was eager to sample Steel Toes. The book which is driven by a running theme of addiction caused me as the reader to become addicted to the writing. I found the writing to be even more developed than in the first novel and steeped with amazingly descriptive imagery. The plot kept me perched on the edge of my seat and drew me directly into the middle of the chaos. This is a wonderful novel that I insist everyone read.

"Steel Toes" is the continuing saga of Bobby Prine, the young criminal whom Eddie Little introduced us to in his first novel, "Another Day in Paradise." This sequel opens with Bobby, now 18 years old, having failed at escaping from a gladiator camp in the midwest. But Bobby's got heart, he won't give up. He fights his way through a race riot and finally scales the walls with a couple homeboys. Bobby and his boys hit the road in a souped-up Hemi Cuda and from then on the story is non-stop action. Bobby goes from an Indiana militia compound, to hanging with junkbond salesman in New York, to the criminal underworld of Boston. He hooks up with Syd and Billy Bones, two great characters from his first novel, and gets back to business. Cashing bogus checks, doing burglaries, packing heat, shooting dope and falling in love. Eddie Little has done it again, writing a crime novel that is not only entertaining, but deep. The characters and description is great, you can tell Eddie Little has tread the rough ground of which he writes. Bad Bobby Prine is better than any "recurring" character I've ever followed in other crime novels. I'm waiting for a 3rd installment, this dude keeps you on edge, I could follow bad Bobby for volumes.

Wow!!! All I can say is wow!! Eddie Little Hits another home run. If you liked Another Day in Paradise, you gotta check this out.