Gutshot Straight: A Novel

Lou Berney

Jan 2010 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

“Lou Berney’s novel is so energetic, so droll, and so wheezingly funny that it accomplished what no book ever has before: it made me forget to eat lunch.”
—Stephen Harrigan, New York Times bestselling author of Challenger Park

A fast and funny caper in the tradition of Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen, and the Coen Brothers, Gutshot Straight brings a fresh new talent into the crime fiction fold: Louis Berney. He’s already won raves for his short fiction collection The Road to Bobby Joe and Other Stories (“Rivals the work of contemporary hotshots T.C. Boyle and Ralph Lombreglia” —Chicago Tribune). With Gutshot Straight, Berney is “all in”—sure to win a fervent following with the story of “Shake” Bouchon, fresh out of prison and on the straight and narrow path…after maybe just one last job.

Ratings and reviews

While author's cover notes and acknowledgements are lame, his writing is spot on. Little mistakes in some of his "research" but this does not detract from a deliciously involved and unique plot. Characters are engaging and rounded; the style reminiscent of Chandler or 40s screenwriters work. I was thoroughly involved in the bizarre and funny caper from page 1. Look forward to more from this author. Nuff Said.

twisted,funny book. Enjoyed the hell out of it. Quick read cool characters. No heroes no good guy characters. Just people trying to make a buck and move on with things. Things are never what they seem.

This is one of my first forays into crime fiction, and I loved it. Writing style is witty and sly, plot kept me guessing but was still crackable, and the multiple perspectives gave the world solidity and a feeling of realness. Would reccommend.

About the author

Lou Berney is the multiple award-winning author of Dark Ride, November Road, and The Long and Faraway Gone, as well as Gutshot Straight and Whiplash River. His short fiction has appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, Ploughshares, and the Pushcart Prize anthology. He lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and teaches in the MFA program at Oklahoma City University.