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The Disassembled Man
Frankie Avicious is a hard-luck fellow with a sordid past. Living in a dreary meatpacking town, stuck in a loveless marriage, and spending his days slaughtering cattle, Frankie has nothing to look forward to but his next swallow of bargain whiskey. His wife is threatening to leave him, and the local sociopath is threatening to kill him. And then there's Scarlett Acres, a stripper with a heart of fool's gold. Frankie can't stop thinking about her ...
With the encouragement of a mysterious traveling salesman, Frankie sets out to reverse his destiny through a series of bizarre murders. The consequences of his brutality turn out to be far worse than even he could imagine.
With the encouragement of a mysterious traveling salesman, Frankie sets out to reverse his destiny through a series of bizarre murders. The consequences of his brutality turn out to be far worse than even he could imagine.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2015
4 people are currently reading
439 people want to read
About the author
Jon Bassoff
16 books317 followersJon Bassoff is the author of nine novels. His mountain gothic novel, CORROSION, has been translated in French and German and was nominated for the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere, France’s biggest crime fiction award. His psycho-noir novel, THE DISASSEMBLED MAN, has been adapted for the big screen with a filming date set to begin within the next hundred years. He also wrote the screenplay for BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE, which was named semi-finalist at the New York Cinematography Awards and a finalist at the Seattle Film Festival for best short film.
His novels have been lauded by authors like Craig Johnson (LONGMIRE series), James Grady (SIX DAYS OF THE CONDOR), Rob Hart (THE WAREHOUSE), Paul Trembley (A HEADFUL OF GHOSTS), S.A. Cosby (RAZORBLADE TEARS, Ramsey Campbell (THE HUNGRY MOON), Tom Piccirilli (LAST KIND WORDS), and Marcus Sakey (BRILLLIANCE Trilogy). His work has also been featured several times in New York Magazine. For his day job, Bassoff teaches high school English where he is known by students and faculty alike as the deranged writer guy. He is a connoisseur of tequila, hot sauces, psychobilly music, and flea-bag motels.
His novels have been lauded by authors like Craig Johnson (LONGMIRE series), James Grady (SIX DAYS OF THE CONDOR), Rob Hart (THE WAREHOUSE), Paul Trembley (A HEADFUL OF GHOSTS), S.A. Cosby (RAZORBLADE TEARS, Ramsey Campbell (THE HUNGRY MOON), Tom Piccirilli (LAST KIND WORDS), and Marcus Sakey (BRILLLIANCE Trilogy). His work has also been featured several times in New York Magazine. For his day job, Bassoff teaches high school English where he is known by students and faculty alike as the deranged writer guy. He is a connoisseur of tequila, hot sauces, psychobilly music, and flea-bag motels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 9, 2015
This is one of those books that after you finish it you sit and scratch your head and wonder what the f$%k did I just read?
Frankie is a down on his luck ex-con who works at his father-in-law's meat rendering plant. His job is to "stick" the cows if they aren't dead when they go past him on the belt. He has that kind of life.
I couldn't have gotten a break if I'd smashed my own fingers with a hammer.
He is married to a woman he can barely tolerate. (He married her for the money-too bad daddy cut them off)..They haven't consummated the marriage because Stanley can't bring himself to touch her.
He does feel free to cheat on her when the moment hits.
She had no right accusing me. Why, I hadn't been unfaithful more than a couple of dozen times, and she'd only caught me red-handed twice.
Stanley also is in stalker love with the local prostitute Scarlett. Scarlett just sees him as a stalker but he knows if he can come into some money she will be his!
If you've ever stalked someone-and who among us hasn't?-you begin to realize that most of the time people are boring as hell. We watch television. We eat sandwiches. Sometimes peanut butter, sometimes tuna fish. We take pisses. We take shits. Some wipe sitting, some wipe standing.
Then one day Stanley is visited by a strange traveling salesman.
He puts a little bug in Stanley's ear about how unfair Stanley's life has been. How he needs to get what is owed to him. Maybe by killing off his father-in-law so that he can get his inheritance? After all Stanley should be in upper management at the meat plant..not on the sticker line.
Stanley gets into the role with gusto.
Killing gets easier after awhile and it seems like everytime he turns around someone is sticking their noses in his business so he has to make sure they can't talk.
I liked the dark humor of this book up until it started wearing on my nerves. It went too far, about half way through the book my attention had wandered. There is lots of blood and gore in this one.
Then I went back into the house and drank some booze and sniffed some glue. Then I used a rusted nail to carve a tattoo onto my forearm. It said "Dead Man."
I kept reading for some stupid reason to see if Stanley got his happily ever after. Or did he have to pay the salesman?
"And we will live happily ever after, darling. Just like Cinderella and her seven dwarfs."
Book source: Netgalley in exchange for review.
Frankie is a down on his luck ex-con who works at his father-in-law's meat rendering plant. His job is to "stick" the cows if they aren't dead when they go past him on the belt. He has that kind of life.
I couldn't have gotten a break if I'd smashed my own fingers with a hammer.
He is married to a woman he can barely tolerate. (He married her for the money-too bad daddy cut them off)..They haven't consummated the marriage because Stanley can't bring himself to touch her.
He does feel free to cheat on her when the moment hits.
She had no right accusing me. Why, I hadn't been unfaithful more than a couple of dozen times, and she'd only caught me red-handed twice.
Stanley also is in stalker love with the local prostitute Scarlett. Scarlett just sees him as a stalker but he knows if he can come into some money she will be his!
If you've ever stalked someone-and who among us hasn't?-you begin to realize that most of the time people are boring as hell. We watch television. We eat sandwiches. Sometimes peanut butter, sometimes tuna fish. We take pisses. We take shits. Some wipe sitting, some wipe standing.
Then one day Stanley is visited by a strange traveling salesman.
He puts a little bug in Stanley's ear about how unfair Stanley's life has been. How he needs to get what is owed to him. Maybe by killing off his father-in-law so that he can get his inheritance? After all Stanley should be in upper management at the meat plant..not on the sticker line.
Stanley gets into the role with gusto.
Killing gets easier after awhile and it seems like everytime he turns around someone is sticking their noses in his business so he has to make sure they can't talk.
I liked the dark humor of this book up until it started wearing on my nerves. It went too far, about half way through the book my attention had wandered. There is lots of blood and gore in this one.
Then I went back into the house and drank some booze and sniffed some glue. Then I used a rusted nail to carve a tattoo onto my forearm. It said "Dead Man."
I kept reading for some stupid reason to see if Stanley got his happily ever after. Or did he have to pay the salesman?
"And we will live happily ever after, darling. Just like Cinderella and her seven dwarfs."
Book source: Netgalley in exchange for review.
July 5, 2015
The Disassembled man was my third read from author Jon Bassoff and his debut novel, from his other two stories the darkly disturbing Corrosion and the instantly forgettable Factory Town it would be interesting to see where this one would go. The Disassembled Man is told in a brash, maniacal first person narrative in true psychopathic style with lashings of dark and dirty humour.
Frankie Avicious is a man with a plan, one that's creeped up on him over time, shitty job at the slaughterhouse and a wife who has loads of potential in the wealth department but has let herself go somewhat over the years. Change is coming, he's making promises he can't possibly keep but that's not going to stop him trying and once you take the first step there’s no going back.
First off, he's in love with a stripper who sees him more as a stalker than a love interest, he hates his obese wife with a passion but her father is the big knob on the hill, a man with serious money. Now how can he get his hands on all that money and run away with the stripper of his dreams? It's gonna take some careful planning, or maybe not, let's just kill the old man, wife will inherit the money and then kill her, simple as.
Prepare yourself for a ride of carnage as possibly the most morally repressed man you've ever come across dives into a killing spree that would make psychos are us extremely proud.
Ruth is the wife and it would be fair to say that Frankie's love for her has waned just slightly over the years.
'She had more rolls than a bakery and more chins than a Hong Kong phone book.'
Tongue in cheek humour and violence follow after an argument.
'I should tell you now that Ruth suffered from a rare psychological disorder called insanity. The doctors gave her medication to stabilize her moods, but she must have forgotten to take her magic pills that day. In the wink of a con artist’s eye, she went from behaving like a loving housewife to a wild-eyed psychopath.'
And the punch that changes everything.
'but in all my life I don’t think I’d ever landed a better blow than this one. My fist vibrated, and she just stood there for a moment— the way a cartoon character remains suspended after walking off a cliff— then her knees gave way, and she collapsed to the floor.'
Frankie then has to win his Ruth back after she storms off, with money at the forefront of his mind, when he finally manages to convince her of his love it comes at a cost. A steamy night of passion and some hilarious scenes as Frankie in his mind goes to battle with a sexual tyrannosaurus.
'Then, like a Japanese kamikaze pilot, I readied myself for destruction. I dove into bed and was quickly smothered by the beached whale that was my wife.'
A mysterious traveling salesman named Jack Marteau takes an interest in hard drinking Frankie's fate as it becomes just a matter of time before he gets what's coming to him.
The Disassembled Man is a cringingly entertaining trip that has plenty of laughs, a war zones worth of violence and slaughter, some deranged family moments including incest and more than a fair share of depravity. All for money, the root of all evil but it's never that easy or we'd all have plenty of it. If moral fortitude and goodness of heart is what you're after then you're knocking on the wrong door with this story, prepare yourselves is all I will say.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
Frankie Avicious is a man with a plan, one that's creeped up on him over time, shitty job at the slaughterhouse and a wife who has loads of potential in the wealth department but has let herself go somewhat over the years. Change is coming, he's making promises he can't possibly keep but that's not going to stop him trying and once you take the first step there’s no going back.
First off, he's in love with a stripper who sees him more as a stalker than a love interest, he hates his obese wife with a passion but her father is the big knob on the hill, a man with serious money. Now how can he get his hands on all that money and run away with the stripper of his dreams? It's gonna take some careful planning, or maybe not, let's just kill the old man, wife will inherit the money and then kill her, simple as.
Prepare yourself for a ride of carnage as possibly the most morally repressed man you've ever come across dives into a killing spree that would make psychos are us extremely proud.
Ruth is the wife and it would be fair to say that Frankie's love for her has waned just slightly over the years.
'She had more rolls than a bakery and more chins than a Hong Kong phone book.'
Tongue in cheek humour and violence follow after an argument.
'I should tell you now that Ruth suffered from a rare psychological disorder called insanity. The doctors gave her medication to stabilize her moods, but she must have forgotten to take her magic pills that day. In the wink of a con artist’s eye, she went from behaving like a loving housewife to a wild-eyed psychopath.'
And the punch that changes everything.
'but in all my life I don’t think I’d ever landed a better blow than this one. My fist vibrated, and she just stood there for a moment— the way a cartoon character remains suspended after walking off a cliff— then her knees gave way, and she collapsed to the floor.'
Frankie then has to win his Ruth back after she storms off, with money at the forefront of his mind, when he finally manages to convince her of his love it comes at a cost. A steamy night of passion and some hilarious scenes as Frankie in his mind goes to battle with a sexual tyrannosaurus.
'Then, like a Japanese kamikaze pilot, I readied myself for destruction. I dove into bed and was quickly smothered by the beached whale that was my wife.'
A mysterious traveling salesman named Jack Marteau takes an interest in hard drinking Frankie's fate as it becomes just a matter of time before he gets what's coming to him.
The Disassembled Man is a cringingly entertaining trip that has plenty of laughs, a war zones worth of violence and slaughter, some deranged family moments including incest and more than a fair share of depravity. All for money, the root of all evil but it's never that easy or we'd all have plenty of it. If moral fortitude and goodness of heart is what you're after then you're knocking on the wrong door with this story, prepare yourselves is all I will say.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
July 30, 2015
This is the third book I've read by Jon Bassoff. I loved the first, and just didn't care for the second. I'm happy to say that this one was a much stronger novel, in my opinion.
Frankie Avicious is a semi-pyschotic man that has the most horrible luck in every area of his life. Told in first person (not my personal favorite, but it worked wonderfully in this case!), we learn of Frankie's "glorious" job at the slaughterhouse, his horrible upbringing, love of a stripper who only cares for money, and violent tendencies. To top it off, he's married to the rich owner of the slaughterhouse's daughter--thinking he'd get rewarded for his generous act of heroism in marrying her; instead, they live in virtual poverty. My favorite description of Ruth:
"I should tell you now that Ruth suffered from a rare psychological disorder called insanity. The doctors gave her medication to stabilize her moods, but she must have forgotten to take her magic pills that day. In the wink of a con artist’s eye, she went from behaving like a loving housewife to a wild-eyed psychopath."
The entire novel is laced with that tongue-in-cheek humor which worked so well for Frankie's character. What could have been a colossal disaster of a book simply filled with misfortune after misfortune, was instantly turned into a page-turning thriller, with enough dark humor to keep you reading on until the end.
Highly recommended!
*I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Frankie Avicious is a semi-pyschotic man that has the most horrible luck in every area of his life. Told in first person (not my personal favorite, but it worked wonderfully in this case!), we learn of Frankie's "glorious" job at the slaughterhouse, his horrible upbringing, love of a stripper who only cares for money, and violent tendencies. To top it off, he's married to the rich owner of the slaughterhouse's daughter--thinking he'd get rewarded for his generous act of heroism in marrying her; instead, they live in virtual poverty. My favorite description of Ruth:
"I should tell you now that Ruth suffered from a rare psychological disorder called insanity. The doctors gave her medication to stabilize her moods, but she must have forgotten to take her magic pills that day. In the wink of a con artist’s eye, she went from behaving like a loving housewife to a wild-eyed psychopath."
The entire novel is laced with that tongue-in-cheek humor which worked so well for Frankie's character. What could have been a colossal disaster of a book simply filled with misfortune after misfortune, was instantly turned into a page-turning thriller, with enough dark humor to keep you reading on until the end.
Highly recommended!
*I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
June 23, 2015
Frankie Avicious is a disgruntled employee at Sunshine Foods that is looking for a big pay day. He married the boss’s daughter and that should get him something…right? Maybe some respect, some dough, a cushy desk job, or maybe his dream life with Scarlett Acres.
Frankie just wants what he is due. What he deserves, damn it! Unfortunately, after meeting a mysterious travelling salesman, he just may get it.
A very dark and twisted tale, chock-full of violence and disturbing imagery. There are some truly quote worthy and laugh out loud passages in this one and the characterization is spot on. Very well done and highly recommended!
Frankie just wants what he is due. What he deserves, damn it! Unfortunately, after meeting a mysterious travelling salesman, he just may get it.
A very dark and twisted tale, chock-full of violence and disturbing imagery. There are some truly quote worthy and laugh out loud passages in this one and the characterization is spot on. Very well done and highly recommended!
June 19, 2015
Review copy
The Disassembled Man is the third work I've read by Jon Bassoff and I have enjoyed each one. In his latest piece for Darkfuse, Jon takes the reader on a joyride that mixes the noir, hard-core crime, and horror genres with mostly successful results.
Frankie Avicious works in a slaugherhouse called Sunshine Foods, killing all day everyday. I guess you could say killing came easy for Frankie.
The author's use of similes in this story was great fun. A few choice examples include...
"I couldn't have gotten a break if I'd smashed my own fingers with a hammer."
"Huerfano was your typical Norman Rockwell town--if Norman Rockwell had been an unemployed drug addict."
"...hungrier than a fasting Ethiopian."
I enjoyed every bit of this rough and tumble story. The author even managed a few surprises along the way.
The Disassembled Man is available now from Darkfuse in both Paperback and ebook formats. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read this one at no additional charge. If you have Amazon Prime you can borrow it for FREE from the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
Recommended.
The Disassembled Man is the third work I've read by Jon Bassoff and I have enjoyed each one. In his latest piece for Darkfuse, Jon takes the reader on a joyride that mixes the noir, hard-core crime, and horror genres with mostly successful results.
Frankie Avicious works in a slaugherhouse called Sunshine Foods, killing all day everyday. I guess you could say killing came easy for Frankie.
The author's use of similes in this story was great fun. A few choice examples include...
"I couldn't have gotten a break if I'd smashed my own fingers with a hammer."
"Huerfano was your typical Norman Rockwell town--if Norman Rockwell had been an unemployed drug addict."
"...hungrier than a fasting Ethiopian."
I enjoyed every bit of this rough and tumble story. The author even managed a few surprises along the way.
The Disassembled Man is available now from Darkfuse in both Paperback and ebook formats. If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read this one at no additional charge. If you have Amazon Prime you can borrow it for FREE from the Kindle Owners Lending Library.
Recommended.
July 29, 2015
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Frankie Avicious has a life he hates; he works in a slaughter house, loathes his morbidly obese wife and his stinking rich father-in-law has no thoughts of sharing his wealth. Frankie comes up with a plan to get the girl of his dreams, money obsessed stripper Scarlett, as well as unloading his father-in-law of his vast wealth. With the encouragement of a mysterious salesman, Frankie plans the perfect murder, however circumstances soon see him adding to the body count as his plan spirals out of control and the thrill of violence takes over.
This is another dark and disturbing tale from Bassoff however this one also has a strong injection of black humour which I really enjoyed and stopped it from feeling too bleak and depressing.
I felt very conflicted about Frankie, in a lot of ways I liked him, his humour and some of his observations were great but he was a complete psychopath and his violent nature became offputting and one of the reasons I didn't rate this higher. Personally I became increasingly uncomfortable with the casual violence Frankie resorts to but this is just my own trigger and nothing to do with how the author tackled the subject.
The story becomes more nightmarish and disturbing as it mirrors Frankie losing whatever he had of a mind, to say this read is brutal is an understatement but I thought it was well written and showcases Bassoffs talent.
Recommended for those that love dark and disturbing fiction.
Frankie Avicious has a life he hates; he works in a slaughter house, loathes his morbidly obese wife and his stinking rich father-in-law has no thoughts of sharing his wealth. Frankie comes up with a plan to get the girl of his dreams, money obsessed stripper Scarlett, as well as unloading his father-in-law of his vast wealth. With the encouragement of a mysterious salesman, Frankie plans the perfect murder, however circumstances soon see him adding to the body count as his plan spirals out of control and the thrill of violence takes over.
This is another dark and disturbing tale from Bassoff however this one also has a strong injection of black humour which I really enjoyed and stopped it from feeling too bleak and depressing.
I felt very conflicted about Frankie, in a lot of ways I liked him, his humour and some of his observations were great but he was a complete psychopath and his violent nature became offputting and one of the reasons I didn't rate this higher. Personally I became increasingly uncomfortable with the casual violence Frankie resorts to but this is just my own trigger and nothing to do with how the author tackled the subject.
The story becomes more nightmarish and disturbing as it mirrors Frankie losing whatever he had of a mind, to say this read is brutal is an understatement but I thought it was well written and showcases Bassoffs talent.
Recommended for those that love dark and disturbing fiction.
August 6, 2015
After reading Jon Bassoff’s first two novels, I was salivating over his latest release, The Disassembled Man. It is the story of Frankie Avicious, a sadly tragic, sociopathic character desperate to get what he feels he's deserved. Bassoff took this character, cut off his skin, sewed me up inside, transplanted half a lobe of his brain into me skull, and sent me on my way for 300 pages or so. I smirked more than once, highlighted often, read with eagerness, and was amazed at his skills and the story.
I reached out to Bassoff after finishing the book, and he graciously agreed to be interrogated. Thanks to Jon for his answers which definitely enrich the experience of reading his books.
Check Out My Interview With the Author
I reached out to Bassoff after finishing the book, and he graciously agreed to be interrogated. Thanks to Jon for his answers which definitely enrich the experience of reading his books.
Check Out My Interview With the Author
March 20, 2025
Jon Bassoff has written some great thrillers in the past, leaving me eager to explore some of his older work. Some of the more recent novels included stories that kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat. This book was not as gripping, but still a decent piece of writing that I was able to read in short order. Bassoff is an author worth my time and I hope others discover this as well!
Frankie Avicious has lived a life he would not wish on anyone. His job at a meat-packing plant has him staring down monotony and leaves no room for advancement. He’s stuck in a marriage that is as empty as anything he’s known, leaving Frankie to find excitement in his nightly binge of cheap booze. He’s stuck dealing with a wife who wants to divorce him and take her eventual inheritance along with his measly paycheque. The one solace is that Frankie’s mentally moved on with the town’s most popular stripper.
When Frankie is given the chance to change his fate after a visit from a unique source, he’s intrigued. He is told to commit a series of murders, each more intense than the last. However, he’s pulled into an abyss he could not have imagined and finds every horror that befalls of his own doing.
The consequences of these actions turn out to be far worse than anyone could have imagined. As Frankie comes to terms with the truth, he reflects on all the choices he's made and where he went wrong. Bassoff presents readers with a story unlike anything of his I have read before, sure to impress some while others might be looking for more.
I rely on great storytelling to hold my attention, particularly when I read so much. Jon Bassoff has shown that he can do this and his ideas are all so unique. The narrative flow of this story held my attention from the opening pages and the momentum increased with each passing chapter. Characters proved well worth my time and helped flavour the story effectively as things progressed. Plot points proved useful to push things along, though the undertones of the story made the story less surprising than hints of violence! While all this is true, there was something that lacked the spark from Jon Bassoff's novels that have crossed my path previously. I cannot put my finger on it, but felt this throughout the reading experience. All that being said, I will be back to try more books soon, if only to allow some redemption.
Kudos, Mr. Bassoff, for a different piece of writing to exemplify your vast talents.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at: http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Frankie Avicious has lived a life he would not wish on anyone. His job at a meat-packing plant has him staring down monotony and leaves no room for advancement. He’s stuck in a marriage that is as empty as anything he’s known, leaving Frankie to find excitement in his nightly binge of cheap booze. He’s stuck dealing with a wife who wants to divorce him and take her eventual inheritance along with his measly paycheque. The one solace is that Frankie’s mentally moved on with the town’s most popular stripper.
When Frankie is given the chance to change his fate after a visit from a unique source, he’s intrigued. He is told to commit a series of murders, each more intense than the last. However, he’s pulled into an abyss he could not have imagined and finds every horror that befalls of his own doing.
The consequences of these actions turn out to be far worse than anyone could have imagined. As Frankie comes to terms with the truth, he reflects on all the choices he's made and where he went wrong. Bassoff presents readers with a story unlike anything of his I have read before, sure to impress some while others might be looking for more.
I rely on great storytelling to hold my attention, particularly when I read so much. Jon Bassoff has shown that he can do this and his ideas are all so unique. The narrative flow of this story held my attention from the opening pages and the momentum increased with each passing chapter. Characters proved well worth my time and helped flavour the story effectively as things progressed. Plot points proved useful to push things along, though the undertones of the story made the story less surprising than hints of violence! While all this is true, there was something that lacked the spark from Jon Bassoff's novels that have crossed my path previously. I cannot put my finger on it, but felt this throughout the reading experience. All that being said, I will be back to try more books soon, if only to allow some redemption.
Kudos, Mr. Bassoff, for a different piece of writing to exemplify your vast talents.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at: http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
June 25, 2015
We all have known or heard of that guy who thinks life owes him something, whether he deserves it or not. Meet Frankie, the poster child for a Murphy’s Law poster. Jon Bassoff allows us into Frankie’s mind, which is a truly horrific place to be! The Disassembled Man is a dark and twisted tale of “that guy” who will never amount to anything because he doesn’t try, his version of life in the fast lane is getting drunk, be unfaithful to his wife and sometimes beating a little sense into her. It all started when he decided the best financial move he could make would be to marry the boss’s less than gorgeous daughter, get that corner office, hot secretaries and becoming a wealthy man of power who will be respected and feared. Oh, his father-in-law gave him a job alright, in a beef processing plant, as one of the bottom feeders whose job it is to ensure the death of each animal coming through. When enough is enough, Frankie takes his fate into his own bumbling hands…and the adventure begins…
Loaded with clichéd lines, sarcastic thoughts and phrases, at first I found there to be some dark and quirky humor, but, poor Frankie is such a loser, it all becomes overwhelming to hear every nasty thing that runs through his head. Murder, mutilation and mayhem follow Frankie and Jon Bassoff drags us through the dregs that are Frankie’s life. Meet the people who make up his social circle and you may find yourself thinking like Frankie as he attempts to re-route his destiny, one screw up at a time! Probably not mainstream reading, but definitely strangely entertaining.
I received this copy from DarkFuse in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: May 31, 2015
Publisher: DarkFuse
ISBN 9781940544816
Genre:Mystery & Thrillers, Literature/Fiction (Adult)
Print Length: 254 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews and More Check out: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Loaded with clichéd lines, sarcastic thoughts and phrases, at first I found there to be some dark and quirky humor, but, poor Frankie is such a loser, it all becomes overwhelming to hear every nasty thing that runs through his head. Murder, mutilation and mayhem follow Frankie and Jon Bassoff drags us through the dregs that are Frankie’s life. Meet the people who make up his social circle and you may find yourself thinking like Frankie as he attempts to re-route his destiny, one screw up at a time! Probably not mainstream reading, but definitely strangely entertaining.
I received this copy from DarkFuse in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: May 31, 2015
Publisher: DarkFuse
ISBN 9781940544816
Genre:Mystery & Thrillers, Literature/Fiction (Adult)
Print Length: 254 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews and More Check out: http://tometender.blogspot.com
March 4, 2016
This was the third book by Jon I have read. The first Corrosion I liked a lot, the second Factory Town not so much. This book fell in between the two. The main character in this story is Frankie Avicious. Who works in a slaughter house for Sunshine Foods. He is married to the daughter of the man who owns Sunshine Foods. Frankie is cheating on his wife with this stripper named Scarlett. He is pissed that he has to work and hasn't seen any of the family money. Not wanting to work at the slaughter house and tired of being married to his fat wife. He comes up with this plan to get the money and be with Scarlett. This was a brutal story about a man willing to do anything to get what he wants. This was just an okay story for me. I gave The Disassembled Man 3 1/2 stars.
I received an e-arc of this book from DarkFuse/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I received an e-arc of this book from DarkFuse/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
June 19, 2015
Tough urban noir with a few surprises. This is an excellent story by Jon Bassoff (author of the brilliant Corrosion) and follows the low life tales of the thoroughly despicable Frankie Avicious. The language and style of Bassoff's writing grabs your attention from page one...never lets go...and ends in the most unexpected yet brilliant way. Recommended :)
November 20, 2015
"As an introduction to someone new, to me, this may not be the right book to read. One or two times I did think it was a bit bizarre and lost a bit of interest but then when you read on, the interest gets piqued again. I can see where some people however could put this one down half way through and not go back to it. My message would be to persevere. Although not your average straight forward tale, it is worth a read and is very entertaining."
See here for the full review:
The Disassembled Man
See here for the full review:
The Disassembled Man
December 5, 2023
I'm a big fan of Bassoff, but this debut novel is just too far out there to be really successful. Some of the most bizarre dialogue I've read and a main character that has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Incredibly anti-religion to the point of overkill. It has some good moments, and the writing is solid for the most part, but Bassoff takes crime noir into rather silly areas. I credit the attempt at originality but just didn't work the way it should have. At least I know he improved dramatically in his later efforts. 2.5 stars.
July 18, 2015
Note: I received this title as a free bonus from the DarkFuse Book Club.
My first introduction to Jon Bassoff was the 2014 release of his third novel, FACTORY TOWN, a dream-scape delirium of a read. THE DISASSEMBLED MAN is actually Bassoff's first novel, reissued here by DarkFuse, and I was a bit surprised at just how straight-forward it was, given the topsy-turvy nature of FACTORY TOWN.
DISASSEMBLED falls squarely into the category of psycho-noir, following the self-important, ego-driven, and much-entitled oddball narrator, Frankie Avicious, from one murder to another. The character development is very well done, and serves as a lovely case study of how to craft a main character that is completely unsympathetic, repulsive, and eminently readable. It's pretty clear from page one that Frankie is not all right in the head and that more than a few screws are loose, if not long-since lost entirely. I did not like Frankie at all, but Bassoff imbues him with a measure of smarminess and off-beat humor that drove me through the novel waiting for this jerk's final comeuppance.
This is a solid bit of noir fiction where murder sprees are the number one order of business. While Frankie is shallow and not terribly bright, don't expect an Elmore Leonard level of wit. Even the worst of Leonard's criminal dimwits and charming antiheroes would be shockingly, and rightfully, appalled with Frankie. Expect, instead, a read that is dark and unflinching, and sometimes just plain old brutal.
My first introduction to Jon Bassoff was the 2014 release of his third novel, FACTORY TOWN, a dream-scape delirium of a read. THE DISASSEMBLED MAN is actually Bassoff's first novel, reissued here by DarkFuse, and I was a bit surprised at just how straight-forward it was, given the topsy-turvy nature of FACTORY TOWN.
DISASSEMBLED falls squarely into the category of psycho-noir, following the self-important, ego-driven, and much-entitled oddball narrator, Frankie Avicious, from one murder to another. The character development is very well done, and serves as a lovely case study of how to craft a main character that is completely unsympathetic, repulsive, and eminently readable. It's pretty clear from page one that Frankie is not all right in the head and that more than a few screws are loose, if not long-since lost entirely. I did not like Frankie at all, but Bassoff imbues him with a measure of smarminess and off-beat humor that drove me through the novel waiting for this jerk's final comeuppance.
This is a solid bit of noir fiction where murder sprees are the number one order of business. While Frankie is shallow and not terribly bright, don't expect an Elmore Leonard level of wit. Even the worst of Leonard's criminal dimwits and charming antiheroes would be shockingly, and rightfully, appalled with Frankie. Expect, instead, a read that is dark and unflinching, and sometimes just plain old brutal.
July 3, 2015
Bassoff writes some seriously disturbing psychos. Dude is 3 for 3 in my estimation for writing books that made me uncomfortable but I still loved them. The Disassembled Man is dark and even funny at times. Frankie Avicious was born in hell and he will die in hell and once you accept that the story makes sense. Frankie does horrible things but he's had horrible things done to him so what do you expect? Just kick it with Frankie while the bodies pile up and remember that dying is the easy part. If you're a fan of Stokoe, Tony Burgess, or even Palahnuik you should read The Disassembled Man, or any other Bassoff really. I can't wait to read another Bassoff book.
May 22, 2016
Hard to know what to make of this one. Starts off all psycho-noir - but imagine if T. C. Boyle wrote a psycho-noir, that's the prose style: three figures of speech per sentence - and then just goes psycho. Grotesque, horror, splatter punk, I don't know. It was really good for a while and then it got pretty tedious. Maybe should have been a 150 pager instead of 250 pages. 4 stars early on but became 2 by the end.
January 11, 2016
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...
Urban noir the way it’s meant to be. The main character, Frankie, is unraveling from the start and we see him spiraling further into madness. He sets out to reverse his destiny through a string of bizarre murders. The author’s main achievement is almost succeeding in making the reader think like Frankie as the book progresses, which is no small feat considering Frankie is all kinds of crazy. Entertaining, but probably not for everyone.
Urban noir the way it’s meant to be. The main character, Frankie, is unraveling from the start and we see him spiraling further into madness. He sets out to reverse his destiny through a string of bizarre murders. The author’s main achievement is almost succeeding in making the reader think like Frankie as the book progresses, which is no small feat considering Frankie is all kinds of crazy. Entertaining, but probably not for everyone.
December 13, 2020
The most macabre and ingenious story I've read so far.
If Charles Bukowski and HP Lovecraft had a baby; Jon Bassoff would be it.....
If Charles Bukowski and HP Lovecraft had a baby; Jon Bassoff would be it.....
April 18, 2025
Fun read. Well written. original. creepy. A little Lars Von Trier.
November 14, 2025
⭐⭐ 1.5 stars rounded up
It starts as a gritty noir so I thought it will be dark, edgy, and profound, but it quickly turns grotesque. Not all darkness is deep...
It starts as a gritty noir so I thought it will be dark, edgy, and profound, but it quickly turns grotesque. Not all darkness is deep...
February 9, 2017
Preferred Corrosion but still a pretty good read.
August 13, 2022
My high school English professor wrote this book so I had to check it out. I read it in 2 days which is faster than I’ve read any book. I told him how much I like it and he signed the book for me. It’s a fun morbid, dark story that kept me entertained. If you like dark gory stories this is a good one.
July 25, 2015
Frankie Avicious is not a nice man and he’s coming apart at the seams. Jon Bassoff’s thrilling new novel The Disassembled Man chronicles Frankie’s fall from generally unpleasant guy to completely terrible human being. And while he is a terrible person he’s also an absolutely intriguing one that will have readers asking themselves “How can I be rooting for the bad guy?”
The Disassembled Man is a blend of noir and horror that explores the bleak and dark portions of both genres. Frankie is a normal guy at the outset, working at a tough job in a slaughterhouse and going home, usually drunk, to a wife he doesn’t love. He seems to get along from day to day until he gets it into his head that he deserves more than he’s getting. Once he decides to take what he thinks he is owed his life becomes of downward spiral of cheap booze, strange sex and all kinds of violence.
The novel is populated with a host of interesting and bizarre supporting characters. Scarlett Acres is a stripper, a staple of noir characters, but she does not possess a heart of gold and she’s certainly not putting herself through school. Frankie’s wife Ruth is unloved and ready to leave him, and her father is distant, not sharing any of his considerable wealth with his daughter and son-in-law. Frankie’s ex-cellmate Jack fades in and out of the narrative like some sort of grimey Gandalf of the Arizona desert.
Once the first blood is spilled and the first body falls characters drop like dominoes until the last page. The pace is the story is great and things don’t slow down. The first-person narrative from Frankie is lyrical and literate, full of metaphors and similes and only seems forced on a few brief occasions. The story takes an unexpected turn about three-quarters of the way through and threatens to go wildly off the rails, but Bassoff’s careful plotting keeps at least two wheels on the track and the story speeding forward to its violent climax. If you like your horror and noir bloody and brutal, The Disassembled Man is the book for you.
The Disassembled Man is a blend of noir and horror that explores the bleak and dark portions of both genres. Frankie is a normal guy at the outset, working at a tough job in a slaughterhouse and going home, usually drunk, to a wife he doesn’t love. He seems to get along from day to day until he gets it into his head that he deserves more than he’s getting. Once he decides to take what he thinks he is owed his life becomes of downward spiral of cheap booze, strange sex and all kinds of violence.
The novel is populated with a host of interesting and bizarre supporting characters. Scarlett Acres is a stripper, a staple of noir characters, but she does not possess a heart of gold and she’s certainly not putting herself through school. Frankie’s wife Ruth is unloved and ready to leave him, and her father is distant, not sharing any of his considerable wealth with his daughter and son-in-law. Frankie’s ex-cellmate Jack fades in and out of the narrative like some sort of grimey Gandalf of the Arizona desert.
Once the first blood is spilled and the first body falls characters drop like dominoes until the last page. The pace is the story is great and things don’t slow down. The first-person narrative from Frankie is lyrical and literate, full of metaphors and similes and only seems forced on a few brief occasions. The story takes an unexpected turn about three-quarters of the way through and threatens to go wildly off the rails, but Bassoff’s careful plotting keeps at least two wheels on the track and the story speeding forward to its violent climax. If you like your horror and noir bloody and brutal, The Disassembled Man is the book for you.
August 26, 2015
In an extreme take on urban noir, author Jon Bassoff rips apart the human psyche for our outraged entertainment and potential enlightenment. We get a ringside seat for the transformation of a fully-fledged psychopath. Frankie Avicious goes from being a bitter, whining, booze-bloated no-hoper with a nasty past and a penchant for lazy manipulation, into a newborn creature of low cunning and high ambition.
The writing is masterful in its descriptive grip and visceral impact, so the pages spin by as Avicious barrels along his own personal blood-spattered, vomit-streaked highway to hell. Subtle it’s not.
The opening chapter, which details Avicious’s everyday life as a cattle killer in a slaughterhouse, sets the tone for the rest of the book. There’s no redemption here, no possibility of escape for any of the bit-players. The majority of his victims demonstrate enough unpleasant characteristics that their deaths become inevitable, if not entirely justifiable. And in a nod to modern psychology, Bassoff gives his central character all the motivation in his childhood that will lead the horribly tormented youngster to become the hate-filled tormenter in adulthood. Mind you, he does have a little help. From a familiar facilitator…
There were parts which didn’t work quite so well for me, like Avicious’s near-constant boozing and puking. Nor could I quite buy the consequence of his disfigurement and how he disguised it in intimate circumstances. Not massively important points, but together with the outlandish jailbreak sequence, they pushed the narrative further from the real world and into the realm of fantasy, lessening the impact of the whole.
Perhaps that’s just as well. It’s not an uplifting tale, and certainly not for the squeamish or those easily offended. A gripping read, undoubtedly, although it didn’t quite live up to the chilling sophistication of Bassoff’s excellent ‘Corrosion’.
7/10
(More details on the book over at
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress... )
The writing is masterful in its descriptive grip and visceral impact, so the pages spin by as Avicious barrels along his own personal blood-spattered, vomit-streaked highway to hell. Subtle it’s not.
The opening chapter, which details Avicious’s everyday life as a cattle killer in a slaughterhouse, sets the tone for the rest of the book. There’s no redemption here, no possibility of escape for any of the bit-players. The majority of his victims demonstrate enough unpleasant characteristics that their deaths become inevitable, if not entirely justifiable. And in a nod to modern psychology, Bassoff gives his central character all the motivation in his childhood that will lead the horribly tormented youngster to become the hate-filled tormenter in adulthood. Mind you, he does have a little help. From a familiar facilitator…
There were parts which didn’t work quite so well for me, like Avicious’s near-constant boozing and puking. Nor could I quite buy the consequence of his disfigurement and how he disguised it in intimate circumstances. Not massively important points, but together with the outlandish jailbreak sequence, they pushed the narrative further from the real world and into the realm of fantasy, lessening the impact of the whole.
Perhaps that’s just as well. It’s not an uplifting tale, and certainly not for the squeamish or those easily offended. A gripping read, undoubtedly, although it didn’t quite live up to the chilling sophistication of Bassoff’s excellent ‘Corrosion’.
7/10
(More details on the book over at
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress... )
September 19, 2025
3.5
I didn't know much about the story going in besides what the summary said. I was surprised to find how despicable our main character is, but that's the point. Jon Bassoff has written a gruesome and engaging, never boring, fast faced story, about a wildly unlikeable man out to change his future.
This wasn't a long book but I kept having to stop then come back as the way the main character talked about his wife and the domestic violence was particularly hard for me to read. I couldn't decide how I felt about the violence in this book. There's lots and lots of violence against women and at times it was hard to read from our main characters POV but that's the point. He's a terrible person on the run, deserperate and that was driven home time and time again. The writing was fantastic the story was intense. The fitting ending was what pushed this story to 4 stars for me.
I don't mind gruesome and disturbing books. I've read a lot of really messed up books but I probably should have picked a different time to read this one. Sometimes you read a book at the wrong time
Trigger Warnings: for SA, incest, domestic abuse, and general violence against women.
I didn't know much about the story going in besides what the summary said. I was surprised to find how despicable our main character is, but that's the point. Jon Bassoff has written a gruesome and engaging, never boring, fast faced story, about a wildly unlikeable man out to change his future.
This wasn't a long book but I kept having to stop then come back as the way the main character talked about his wife and the domestic violence was particularly hard for me to read. I couldn't decide how I felt about the violence in this book. There's lots and lots of violence against women and at times it was hard to read from our main characters POV but that's the point. He's a terrible person on the run, deserperate and that was driven home time and time again. The writing was fantastic the story was intense. The fitting ending was what pushed this story to 4 stars for me.
I don't mind gruesome and disturbing books. I've read a lot of really messed up books but I probably should have picked a different time to read this one. Sometimes you read a book at the wrong time
Trigger Warnings: for SA, incest, domestic abuse, and general violence against women.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2016
I received an ARC of this e-book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is my first introduction to Jon Bassoff's writing. While the story is well written this is a very dark macabre book, at times very hard to read with all the violence. The story is interspersed with a dark humor that plays well off the main character. There are some excellent lines in this book that I could see being made into a movie but it is not my typical read. All of the violence, blood and gore and sick depravity got to me.
Frankie is spiraling downward from the very first page haunted by Martenau a mysterious traveling salesman who could be real or a figment of Frankie's crazed mind, goads him on to further depths of depravity.
I would only recommend this to people who like dark disturbing fiction.
Frankie is spiraling downward from the very first page haunted by Martenau a mysterious traveling salesman who could be real or a figment of Frankie's crazed mind, goads him on to further depths of depravity.
I would only recommend this to people who like dark disturbing fiction.
February 5, 2017
This is the first "real" novel published by this author, first released under another name and later
under the authentic name of this writer by DarkFuse who published Corrosion.And Corrosion was
the first novel that I read by this author, it caused an strong impression in me and I absolutely re-
commend it.
Well, this novel is good too.It has a good pace, a fantastic and efective prose and a very very dark story narrated by the protagonist: Frankie Avicious.I think Jon Bassoff did a good job in this novel,
specially with the main character because he created a total memorable one.Impossible to forget once
the novel is finished.This story is not easy to digest but if you like obscure stories like the one presen-
ted here...try it.
under the authentic name of this writer by DarkFuse who published Corrosion.And Corrosion was
the first novel that I read by this author, it caused an strong impression in me and I absolutely re-
commend it.
Well, this novel is good too.It has a good pace, a fantastic and efective prose and a very very dark story narrated by the protagonist: Frankie Avicious.I think Jon Bassoff did a good job in this novel,
specially with the main character because he created a total memorable one.Impossible to forget once
the novel is finished.This story is not easy to digest but if you like obscure stories like the one presen-
ted here...try it.
June 24, 2015
The Disassembled Man is actually Jon Bassoff's first novel, originally published under a pseudonym. While a fine example of dark noir with a sociopathic narrator ala "The Killer Inside Me", it definitely feels like a first novel in comparison to the perfection of Corrosion or Factory Town.
Frankie is a no good bastard, plain and simple. His narration is frequently hilarious but it is difficult to feel any sympathy for him. I think that The Disassembled Man would have been more effective as a novella, as spending this much time in Frankie's head became exhausting by the end. Jon Bassoff fans and dark noir aficionados are urged to check out The Disassembled Man. 4 stars.
Frankie is a no good bastard, plain and simple. His narration is frequently hilarious but it is difficult to feel any sympathy for him. I think that The Disassembled Man would have been more effective as a novella, as spending this much time in Frankie's head became exhausting by the end. Jon Bassoff fans and dark noir aficionados are urged to check out The Disassembled Man. 4 stars.
September 22, 2015
I'm not sure how I came by this book, but I'm glad I did. This will not be everyone's cup of tea, (maybe cup of lye would be more appropriate). Bassoff's characters, especially Frankie Avicious, our protagonist/narrator, are deliciously doomed, stupid, amoral and violent, with the emphasis on the adverb. I don't know if I've ever run across a leading man who vomits so much, but ex-con psycho killer Frankie does it at the drop of a hat.
If you like to slink down the dark alleys of sick noir (as I do), you'll find a home here. Cozy readers need not apply.
If you like to slink down the dark alleys of sick noir (as I do), you'll find a home here. Cozy readers need not apply.
June 30, 2015
This novel was my second read by Jon Bassoff. While I wasn't blown away by Factory Town, it did have some wonderful ideas and imagery.
The Disassembled Man was a tour de force in the relatively narrow genre of bizarro crime fiction. Laugh out loud moments followed by disgusting violence and crazed thinking.
Highly recommmended.
The Disassembled Man was a tour de force in the relatively narrow genre of bizarro crime fiction. Laugh out loud moments followed by disgusting violence and crazed thinking.
Highly recommmended.
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