New book titled: Circle Jerk, by: Rollo Thomassey

Jan. 25, 2014 - PRLog -- Based on the title alone, you know you’re in for a crazy ride with “Circle Jerk” by Rollo Thomassey. Upon reading the book’s first two sentences, in which Jackie Fajt, one of the novel’s central characters, decides that he can “threaten to destroy the city, then get paid by the corporations for doing nothing,” it’s clear that this crime novel won’t be about your run-of-the-mill criminal masterminds. Instead, the book takes readers to the heart of Pittsburgh, right before the G-20 Summit is supposed to take place there. Jackie is an Iraqi war veteran who’s become something of a Robin Hood to the homeless and downtrodden in his hometown. He’s a complex character though, given his job as a deliveryman for the local mob.

With the G-20 Summit looming in the background, the murder of a local crime boss, and the death of local bum, the three events mix to create the perfect setting for Jackie’s scheme against the city’s top one percent. The book is a perfect example of character study at its finest. Thomassey gives Jackie all the elements he needs to create the perfect crime…that is until he introduces FBI Agent Micki Malone.

Micki’s character hits readers right when they were least expecting it. The book switches mainly to her point-of-view, as she’s quickly on Jackie’s trail. On the surface, she’s an open book; she’s brash, gives as well as she can take it, and she’s a certified man-eater. The book is filled with many of her trysts with several different men, including her boss. But she’s seemingly more complicated given her romantic relationship with a woman, the only one that seems real amongst her multiple affairs.  Micki is smart though, and she doesn’t let romantic entanglements blind her. Instead, she uses her sexuality to get leads that keep her ahead of her partners. She’s not the most moral, or the trustworthiest, but that only makes her more interesting to read.

The plot and action of the novel accelerates quickly as Micki finds connections between the bomb threat and mob deaths but that doesn’t stop the reader from feeling the suspense. At every turn, Thomassey ratchets up the stakes and readers are unsure of whose going to get off in this crime caper. Thomassey’s strong suit in storytelling is the way he uses dialogue. Each character has a colorful sense of language that allows readers to feel like they are actually hearing them speak rather than reading text.  It’s easy to think that you know his characters that they’re the kind of people who grew up down the street from you. This is a great book for those who love crime novels and books, and aren’t afraid to explore those who live on the fringes of society.  It’s a thrill from start to finish!