Tales of Whiskey Tango from Misery Towers: A Novel
About this ebook
Missouri Towers, once the swankiest address in St. Louis, but now tagged “Misery Towers,” is a shabby apartment building blessed with breathtaking views of the iconic Gateway Arch. Amongst its eccentric dwellers is a trapeze artist whose love life is dangling from a wire, a struggling realtor who can never close a deal, a Bosnian immigrant who is infused with the spirit of Winston Churchill, an aging stripper who refuses to relinquish her grip on the pole, an undertaker on a mission of vengeance, a broken-hearted soul searching for his own pretty woman — one hooker at a time, a beat cop tired of dodging bullets, and a dogged collector of lucky pennies who picks up a cursed coin. On a hot and dangerous August night, against the backdrop of a city on edge, the interwoven lives of these characters will collide with devastating consequences.
By turns, hilarious, bawdy, tender, and tragic, Tales of Whiskey Tango from Misery Towers is a fast-paced, action-packed novel, filled with razor-sharp prose and cringe-worthy dark humor. It offers a unique insight into the psychological landscape of life in a Rust Belt city, plagued with violence and wrestling decline.
Finalist - Royal Palm Literary Awards
Longlisted - Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition
“Tales of Whiskey Tango from Misery Towers, a Carl Hiaasen-style novel, is a masterful blend of comic and tragic.” - IndieReader
“Channeling the spirit of bawdy classics like North Dallas Forty, James Aylott marries soap operatic drama to provocative observances about American society.” - Blueink Review
“A tale where grit and wit dance with dark humor among the desperate hunt of self-discovery.”- Feathered Quill Book Reviews
“Atmospheric and firmly rooted in a sense of place and purpose, Tales of Whiskey Tango from Misery Towers captures the heart and soul of St. Louis.” D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer - Midwest Book Review
“A tale where grit and wit dance with dark humor among the desperate hunt of self-discovery.” - Feathered Quill Book Reviews
“Well written, and because of the clever combination of tragedy and humor, this story will stay with me for a very long time.” - Readers’ Favorite
"Gritty!" - The Big 550 KTRS
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About the author
James Aylott is a former sharp-elbowed Hollywood paparazzo and ruthless supermarket tabloid photo editor. His award-winning debut novel, Tales from The Beach House, was both critically acclaimed and a hit. His follow-up work of fiction, Tales of Whiskey Tango from Misery Towers is set in St. Louis, Missouri, one of America’s most dangerous cities. The author took inspiration not only from the colorful characters he met while embedding himself in the real estate business but also from the mayhem of everyday life on the wild streets of downtown St. Louis. James Aylott is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and King’s College, London. He is happy to call a leafy suburb of St. Louis, Missouri his home.
