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Debt Crusher
Cam Reynolds has a problem…
When Cam’s longtime boss Tom Colcetti dies and leaves control of his criminal organization to his predatory son Tommy, Cam may finally get the chance to run a crew of his own. But Tommy has his eyes on new business horizons, and Cam just made a mistake that could destroy Tommy’s heavy-hitting new partnership.
Now Cam must struggle against violent forces of betrayal, lust, and greed as he attempts to either salvage his career, or get out of the game with his life still intact.
When Cam’s longtime boss Tom Colcetti dies and leaves control of his criminal organization to his predatory son Tommy, Cam may finally get the chance to run a crew of his own. But Tommy has his eyes on new business horizons, and Cam just made a mistake that could destroy Tommy’s heavy-hitting new partnership.
Now Cam must struggle against violent forces of betrayal, lust, and greed as he attempts to either salvage his career, or get out of the game with his life still intact.
- GenresCrime
132 pages, Paperback
First published December 30, 2015
4 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Michael Pool
28 books14 followersMichael Pool is the author of thrilling crime, mystery, and detective novels. Michael’s stories are crafted from real-life experiences, most recently from his full-time work as a private investigator.
Michael holds a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Western Colorado University, and is the author of three full-length novels: the noir mystery novel Rose City; the Elmore Leonard-reminiscent crime novel Texas Two-Step; and the first book in the Riley Reeves female private investigator mystery series, Throwing Off Sparks (set for release in May 2020). Michael is also the author of the Seattle-set crime noir novella, Debt Crusher.
Michael’s work has been compared to writers such as Sue Grafton, Robert Crais, and Joe Lansdale.
Michael’s crime and mystery short stories have appeared in magazines such as All Due Respect, Heater, and Thuglit, as well as in multiple crime anthologies, including The Eyes Of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods. Michael was the editor of the cult classic 80s-themed crime fiction anthology, Fast Women and Neon Lights: 80’s-inspired Neon Noir.
Michael lives and writes in Denver, Colorado, where he works as a private investigator by day and trains grappling martial arts by night. He can also often be found roaming the countryside in his home away from home, Vancy Pants. Find him online at www.michaelpool.net.
Michael holds a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Western Colorado University, and is the author of three full-length novels: the noir mystery novel Rose City; the Elmore Leonard-reminiscent crime novel Texas Two-Step; and the first book in the Riley Reeves female private investigator mystery series, Throwing Off Sparks (set for release in May 2020). Michael is also the author of the Seattle-set crime noir novella, Debt Crusher.
Michael’s work has been compared to writers such as Sue Grafton, Robert Crais, and Joe Lansdale.
Michael’s crime and mystery short stories have appeared in magazines such as All Due Respect, Heater, and Thuglit, as well as in multiple crime anthologies, including The Eyes Of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods. Michael was the editor of the cult classic 80s-themed crime fiction anthology, Fast Women and Neon Lights: 80’s-inspired Neon Noir.
Michael lives and writes in Denver, Colorado, where he works as a private investigator by day and trains grappling martial arts by night. He can also often be found roaming the countryside in his home away from home, Vancy Pants. Find him online at www.michaelpool.net.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 14, 2018
Cam Reynolds has a simple job. Collect the money owed to his boss, Tommy, Jr. He is the son of the legendary and now deceased mob boss, Tom Colcetti. The kid may not value him as much as his father did, but the kid is keeping the family business going and Cam still has a job. Though it is not the job he wants as he feels that he should have moved up by now. Junior has also made some changes that Cam does not approve of and it looks like he won’t be moving upwards anytime soon. At forty two years old he should be doing better than still having to go after guys to collect debts.
It is the job Cam has and he is very good at it. Cam has a reputation for violently collecting monies owed hence his nickname of “Crusher.” He has such a reputation that he rarely has to get physical these days which are a good thing as the years are beginning to take a toll. The latest dead beat who owes is a guy by the name of Gomez. The man owes 10K and tried to run after getting a wakeup call from Cam who happened to be sitting outside the guy’s place when he made the call. After trying to run and being caught, some trunk therapy followed by quiet contemplation of his circumstances should assist Gomez with his motivation to pay up.
Unfortunately, things go wrong and years of loyal service mean nothing. Gomez was connected and Cam got the order to lay off after he had already started trunk therapy. Crusher screwed up and now he is a dead man on the run. At least he thinks he has a sexually willing travel companion in the mysterious woman he met in a Seattle area bar who is willing to help him get out of town in exchange for a fee.
Author Michael Pool quickly pulls the reader into a classic noir style set up where the antihero is on the run because things finally went wrong. One little thing starts the collapsing domino chain and things escalate rapidly in the wrong direction. Unlike his short story collection that I reviewed back in January, New Alleys For Nothing Men: Crime and Noir Stories, where some characters are a bit more introspective, Debt Crusher is pretty much a straightforward violent crime fiction novella. In some of those stories, the violence is chained up and it takes time to be released. In this novella, the violence is a major character and barely under control from the first page. Debt Crusher quickly becomes one violent confrontation after another as Cam does what it takes to not only honor his nickname, but to stay alive. If you prefer animals in your stories, a read clean of graphic language, and the violence to be off the page, this is most definitely not the read for you.
Debt Crusher: A Novella
Michael Pool
http://www.michaelpool.net
All Due Respect Books (Imprint of Down & Out Books)
http://www.allduerespectbooks.com
February 2018
ASIN#: B079R7ZJGN
eBook (also available in paperback format)
117 Pages
$4.99
Copy provide by the author for my use to read and review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2018
It is the job Cam has and he is very good at it. Cam has a reputation for violently collecting monies owed hence his nickname of “Crusher.” He has such a reputation that he rarely has to get physical these days which are a good thing as the years are beginning to take a toll. The latest dead beat who owes is a guy by the name of Gomez. The man owes 10K and tried to run after getting a wakeup call from Cam who happened to be sitting outside the guy’s place when he made the call. After trying to run and being caught, some trunk therapy followed by quiet contemplation of his circumstances should assist Gomez with his motivation to pay up.
Unfortunately, things go wrong and years of loyal service mean nothing. Gomez was connected and Cam got the order to lay off after he had already started trunk therapy. Crusher screwed up and now he is a dead man on the run. At least he thinks he has a sexually willing travel companion in the mysterious woman he met in a Seattle area bar who is willing to help him get out of town in exchange for a fee.
Author Michael Pool quickly pulls the reader into a classic noir style set up where the antihero is on the run because things finally went wrong. One little thing starts the collapsing domino chain and things escalate rapidly in the wrong direction. Unlike his short story collection that I reviewed back in January, New Alleys For Nothing Men: Crime and Noir Stories, where some characters are a bit more introspective, Debt Crusher is pretty much a straightforward violent crime fiction novella. In some of those stories, the violence is chained up and it takes time to be released. In this novella, the violence is a major character and barely under control from the first page. Debt Crusher quickly becomes one violent confrontation after another as Cam does what it takes to not only honor his nickname, but to stay alive. If you prefer animals in your stories, a read clean of graphic language, and the violence to be off the page, this is most definitely not the read for you.
Debt Crusher: A Novella
Michael Pool
http://www.michaelpool.net
All Due Respect Books (Imprint of Down & Out Books)
http://www.allduerespectbooks.com
February 2018
ASIN#: B079R7ZJGN
eBook (also available in paperback format)
117 Pages
$4.99
Copy provide by the author for my use to read and review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2018
April 23, 2016
Debt Crasher, plot wise, reminds me vaguely of a Takeshi Kitano film. It stars a troubled guy, named Cam Reynolds, who gets into a bit of a scramble with a Latino mobster. This causes his life to take a tussle when he accidentally kills the man. So as we all know, being a mobster can have its ups and downs, but 99% of the time it consists of having your life on the edge of a knife, the welder just itching to cut right through you.
"I do what I have to and never an inch more. Been looking out for myself since I was born, pretty much. We're all born victims. It's up to us if we don't want to be one."
It's kind of slow in some part, This novella is one of those quiet types of noirs, where the action slowly creeps in bit by bit and then unleashes it bullets sporadically. But it's a nicely written novella, slow in the right places to portray the boredom and quiet of avoiding danger but secretly craving it with a bit of romance as Reynolds starts to find himself with the women he runs away with. Debt Crasher is enjoyable for the noir junkie, but I will say it won't be much for the noir junkie who likes tons of action? It's quite short, so it's tolerable for me, and sometimes I don't like books with too much fight scenes in it. But I found it pretty good for a person who wants a short fix for the times they want to read book that doesn't require a lengthy relationship with.
"I do what I have to and never an inch more. Been looking out for myself since I was born, pretty much. We're all born victims. It's up to us if we don't want to be one."
It's kind of slow in some part, This novella is one of those quiet types of noirs, where the action slowly creeps in bit by bit and then unleashes it bullets sporadically. But it's a nicely written novella, slow in the right places to portray the boredom and quiet of avoiding danger but secretly craving it with a bit of romance as Reynolds starts to find himself with the women he runs away with. Debt Crasher is enjoyable for the noir junkie, but I will say it won't be much for the noir junkie who likes tons of action? It's quite short, so it's tolerable for me, and sometimes I don't like books with too much fight scenes in it. But I found it pretty good for a person who wants a short fix for the times they want to read book that doesn't require a lengthy relationship with.
March 14, 2016
Fast paced. Punchy story with well drawn characters. Good luck finding a place to stop. You'll read to the end. Leaves you wanting more.
June 9, 2017
Debt Crusher may only be a novelette, but if you are on the lookout for tough guy fiction, you found it. This book is chock full of solid action from start to finish. Cam might be an enforcer and a debt collector, but when a mistake puts him in hot water with the new boss and his new partners, all hell breaks loose and Cam is on the run from the meanest cartel with only a short-skirted, sharp-tongued woman he found in a dive bar to depend on. The story takes place for the most part in Seattle, but this Seattle is not the city of Starbucks and yuppies. It's a dark, unrelenting, mobbed-up town.
This is solid noir with the main character getting deeper and deeper into crap with nowhere and no one left to turn to.
This is solid noir with the main character getting deeper and deeper into crap with nowhere and no one left to turn to.
December 26, 2016
A good mob story
These days mob stories are to crime fiction what zombie stories are to horror. A well trodden area of the genre that never really changes much. In Debt Crushed author Michael Poole switches it up by setting it in Seattle and then ripping the main character out of the mob he had spent so much time in and putting him on the run.
Poole, who I had never read before and wasn't even on my radar, writes a good short, sharp yarn. His writing is clean and goes for the throat, although the middle got a little dull for me. But ends with a quick blast of action and suspense. Poole is definitely on my radar now.
These days mob stories are to crime fiction what zombie stories are to horror. A well trodden area of the genre that never really changes much. In Debt Crushed author Michael Poole switches it up by setting it in Seattle and then ripping the main character out of the mob he had spent so much time in and putting him on the run.
Poole, who I had never read before and wasn't even on my radar, writes a good short, sharp yarn. His writing is clean and goes for the throat, although the middle got a little dull for me. But ends with a quick blast of action and suspense. Poole is definitely on my radar now.
October 6, 2016
Debt Crusher is a fantastic debut novella by Michael Pool. The story line is fast and tight. I'd argue that Pool has a full novel in him--whether it's Cam or some other character. I look forward to see where his writing goes in his next book.
March 23, 2016
Debt Crusher was my introduction to Michael Pool and oh boy am I glad we were introduced! This novella reads like a kick to the balls; it came out of nowhere, left me gasping for air, and it’s gonna take a while until I return to my initial condition.
It will be easier for me to allow the main character, Cam Reynolds, give his own book synopsis: “I’m a debt collector. My job is to convince gamblers who owe money to my boss that they ought to take care of their outstanding debt. I made a mistake last week that involved someone important to (my boss's) new business partners…so (my boss) tried to hand me over to them…for punishment. I didn’t go easy…”
Pool is razor sharp and manages to cut out all extraneous bullshit and just gives us the hard hitting action, tough dialogue, and the plot points that keep you hooked through each page. The book seems to go way too quickly, but it many ways the editing was one of its strengths. While it is a quick read, it never rushed; the plot unfolds at a pace that allows the reader to be immersed, yet not feel like they are missing anything.
All Due Respect has another winner in their lineup and I will be putting my eyes on Pool’s forthcoming short story collection, New Alleys for Nothing Men in the very near future. Speaking of the future, Pool seems to have a very bright one. A lot of people are going to love this one … trust me.
Highly Recommended.
It will be easier for me to allow the main character, Cam Reynolds, give his own book synopsis: “I’m a debt collector. My job is to convince gamblers who owe money to my boss that they ought to take care of their outstanding debt. I made a mistake last week that involved someone important to (my boss's) new business partners…so (my boss) tried to hand me over to them…for punishment. I didn’t go easy…”
Pool is razor sharp and manages to cut out all extraneous bullshit and just gives us the hard hitting action, tough dialogue, and the plot points that keep you hooked through each page. The book seems to go way too quickly, but it many ways the editing was one of its strengths. While it is a quick read, it never rushed; the plot unfolds at a pace that allows the reader to be immersed, yet not feel like they are missing anything.
All Due Respect has another winner in their lineup and I will be putting my eyes on Pool’s forthcoming short story collection, New Alleys for Nothing Men in the very near future. Speaking of the future, Pool seems to have a very bright one. A lot of people are going to love this one … trust me.
Highly Recommended.
December 11, 2018
Kick-ass crime novella that has the feel of those Gold Medal pulps and also has the vibe of Winslow's The Winter of Frankie Machine as Crusher is on the run and then getting even. A fun and fast read that only slowed a bit in the middle as some back story bio got dropped. Maybe we get more Crusher in another book? That would be a good thing.
Set in Seattle (although only lightly described with basically names of places) and the mob crews in the novella are modeled on the Colacurcio family who ran the strip clubs in Seattle forever (and you can read about them in Seattle Vice: Strippers, Prostitution, Dirty Money, and Crooked Cops in the Emerald City, but that is probably only of interest to people from Seattle. Every big city has crews like that.
Set in Seattle (although only lightly described with basically names of places) and the mob crews in the novella are modeled on the Colacurcio family who ran the strip clubs in Seattle forever (and you can read about them in Seattle Vice: Strippers, Prostitution, Dirty Money, and Crooked Cops in the Emerald City, but that is probably only of interest to people from Seattle. Every big city has crews like that.
March 6, 2016
An expertly rendered crime tale. Setting the tale in Seattle and then Cripple Creek Colorado gave it a little bit different flavor than most mob revenge stories but it could have used a few more twists and turns and a little less use of well worn tropes. While there is nothing new here, it is still damn entertaining and hard to put down.
April 7, 2018
I love stories that are fast-paced, violent, pulp-styled, gritty as hell, with just enough humor to break the tension every now and then, and this took care of all those preferences for me. After all, sometimes you just really wanna read people getting beaten and shot and mutilated. Good times.
February 2, 2016
A nice short burst of solid, often exciting action. The hero, Cam, had me pulling for him. Like other readers, though, I couldn't get past the way the character of Loraine was introduced and handled.
April 29, 2016
Good Read
I enjoyed reading this book. I did think there could have been a bit more development of some of the characters. However, it was still worth reading.
I enjoyed reading this book. I did think there could have been a bit more development of some of the characters. However, it was still worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews