The Death of Frank Sinatra

I think Michael Ventura had to use the context of a crime novel to get his story published. However, this novel is really a journey of his own self-discovery. He reminds me of Herman Hesse in the way he constantly enters and exits different doors in his own psyche -- almost at random. The central character, Mike Rose, has a mentally ill older brother. So does Ventura. Avid readers of Ventura's essays know this, and it is very easy for said readers to imagine that Mike Rose is Ventura. If you just want a murder mystery, this won't work for you unless you are particularly daring -- and patient. But, if you like to see someone get to the heart of himself, take a chance. You might be blown away by Ventura's prose. Light reading, this is not, but it is very interesting.

OK, I picked up "The Death of Frank Sinatra" as an impulse-buy $2.99 hardcover from the "used library books" aisle...so I was pretty much purchasing it by-the-pound...no expectations, other than it was Vegas-fiction and sounded fun.Now, I feel like I owe somebody. Which is not a good feeling in the hardboiled world Ventura describes so bristlingly. I have been turned on to a fusion of genres so rich and bountiful, that a full $24.99 pricetag seems only fair. So...if anyone wants to collect the remainder, no pistol-whipping will be necessary. It's quite simply pulp poetry.Crackling descriptions of the blood-in-your-urine doings of a Vegas private dick, featuring characters that jump off the page to pin your arms back while kicking your nuts and a geo-real Vegas that resonates with anyone who can "recite" the Strip from the Alladin to the Sahara and whose secret desire is to be buried at the YESCO graveyard.It's great stuff, and if you've never heard of Michael Ventura, (cause I sure as hell hadn't) you'll soon be saying the same thing I am now..."How the hell is this guy not being read on every Flight 711, instead of Grisham?"...

Michael Ventura really knows how to tell a story that's more than just plot or characterization, but also SAYS something. I bought this book, read it right through, and then re-read it in bits right away, just for the enjoyment of it. This is as good as it gets.

I live in Las Vegas and have read over forty books about it, trying to get a handle on the bewildering nature of this carnival town. Believe me, no author comes close to capturing the soul of this monster city the way Michael Ventura does. Ventura is a brilliantly funny cynic and it took an illuminated mind like his to write this definitive Las Vegas novel. He may be one of the most underrated authors of our time. This is revolutionary and courageous writing and Ventura knows exactly what rules he is breaking every step of th way. He writes more between the lines than he does on them. This book throws a spiritual mirror in front of the face of contemporary society through the two day story of a Las Vegas Private Eye and his personal resurrection (and hopefully, byosmosis, ours also). I loved this book and, if you like break-thru literature, you will too. / "Nobody comes to Vegas to be innocent". "Fremont Street just after dawn. It's not on any postcards". "What a perfect place for human beings, a place where you could do anything yet leave no mark - except upon yourself". "The city...it'll sing and cry and stripfor strangers.One big dancing hooker of a town, leading everybody on with neon in her eyes".

I live in Las Vegas and have read over forty books about it, trying to get a handle on the bewildering nature of this carnival town. Believe me, no author comes close to capturing the soul of this monster city the way Michael Ventura does.Ventura is a brilliantly funny cynic and it took an illuminated mind like his to write this definitive Las Vegas novel. He may be the most underrated author of our time. This is revolutionary and courageous writing and Ventura knows exactly what rules he is breaking every step of the way. He writes more between the lines than he does on them. This book throws a spiritual mirror in front of the face of contemporary society through the two day story of a Las Vegas Private Eye and his personal resurrection (and hopefully, by osmosis, our's also). I loved this book and if you like break-thru literature, you will too."Nobody comes to Vegas to be innocent"."Fremont Street just after dawn. It's not on any postcards". "What a perfect place for human beings, a place where you could do anything yet leave no mark- except upon yourself". "The city...It'll sing and cry and strip for strangers. One big dancing hooker of a town, leading everybody on with neon in her eyes".