Badass Gets Out of Jail Books

“There's a new name to add to the pantheon of the sons and daughters of Cain: Dave Zeltserman . His new novel, Small Crimes , is ingeniously twisted and imbued with a glossy coating of black humor… The plot of Small Crimes ricochets out from [its] claustrophobic opening, and it's a thing of sordid beauty.”- Maureen Corrigan for NPR’s Best Books of 2008 “Unputdownable. Classic noir, dark, funny, shocking and absolutely no compromise. Pure magic of the blackest kind.”—Ken Bruen “A superbly crafted tale. Like the very best of modern noir, this is a story told in shades of grey. This deserves to be massive.”—Allan Guthrie “Zeltserman delves deeply into his specialty, an unorthodox look at the criminal mind. It kept me turning pages and glancing over my shoulder.”—Vicki Hendricks Set in the pressure cooker of a very small town and following the promise of Dave Zeltersman’s earlier novels ( Fast Lane and Bad Thoughts ), Small Crimes is an explosive noir that brings the claustrophobic hell of Jim Thompson and James M. Cain right up to date. Dave Zeltserman lives in the Boston area with his wife, Judy. He is a die-hard Patriots and Red Sox fan, and when he’s not writing crime fiction, he spends his time working on his black belt in Kung Fu.

“What a sick puppy of a writer Dave Zeltserman is!...a doozy of a doom-laden crime story that not only makes merry with the justice system, but also satirizes those bottom feeders in the publishing industry who would sign Osama bin Laden to a six-figure contract for his memoirs, if only they could figure out which cave to send their lawyers into...I'd say Zeltserman can't top Pariah for its sheer diabolical inventiveness, but he probably will. And given that the corrupting vision of his work is so powerful, I ought to know better than to read the next novel he writes. But I probably will anyway.”— Maureen Corrigan , The Washington Post “This fusion of hardboiled and bitter satire is brand new territory for noir and I suspect that it will be one of the most talked about novels of 2009.”— Ed Gorman “ Pariah will keep you glued to its pages. There are no holds barred anywhere in this wonderful launch into evil. The meek beware . . . be-very-ware.”— Charlie Stella “ Pariah is sure to catapult Zeltserman head and shoulders above other Boston authors. This is not only a great crime book, but a gripping read that will crossover to allow greater exposure for this rising talent.”— BOOKGASM.com Praise for Dave Zeltserman's Small Crimes : "[ Small Crimes ] deserves comparison with the best of James Ellroy."— Publishers Weekly , starred review "The plot of Small Crimes is a thing of beauty"— The Washington Post "A strong piece of work, lean and spare, but muscular where a noir novel should be."— The Boston Globe Once part of the holy triumvirate ruling the South Boston Irish Mob, Kyle Nevin is set up with the Feds by head mobster Red Mahoney, who leads him to a court case and a stretch in the slammer. Now out of prison, Kyle wants revenge on his old boss and mentor and, just as importantly, to reclaim his former glory. A kidnapping gone wrong leads, bizarrely, to a major book deal and a newfound celebrity status for Kyle. However, it also brings about bigger problems for both himself and anyone unlucky enough to cross his path. With this dark riff and contemporary theme, Zeltserman shows why he is the heir of Jim Thompson and James M. Cain. Dave Zeltserman lives in the Boston area with his wife. His previous novel Small Crimes was included in The Washington Post 's best books of 2008 and was one of NPR's top five crime and mystery novels of 2008.

Praise for Dave Zeltserman: “ Pariah will keep you glued to its pages. There are no holds barred anywhere in this wonderful launch into evil. The meek beware . . . be-very-ware.” —Charlie Stella “This fusion of hard-boiled and bitter satire is brand new territory for noir and I suspect that [ Pariah ] will be one of the most talked about novels of 2009.” —Ed Gorman “The plot of Small Crimes is a thing of beauty.” — The Washington Post Leonard March walks free from jail after fourteen years' hard time served after turning state’s witness against his Mafia boss Salvatore Lombard. It’s only after Leonard is sentenced that the public learns that he was a Mob hitman with eighteen deaths to answer for. Leonard is released to public outrage and media furor. He spends his time working as a janitor while looking over his shoulder, fearful of a vigilante attack or revenge hit from his former colleagues. At sixty-two and with plenty of time on his hands, he is at an age when most men grow reflective and attempt to understand their mark on the world. But for Leonard, while the threats to his safety are not imagined, his self-reflection may pose the greatest threat of all. Dave Zeltserman lives in the Boston area with his wife. Small Crimes was included in The Washington Post ’s Best Books of 2008 and was one of NPR’s top five crime and mystery novels of 2008.