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Coyote Loop

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In Chicago, at the peak of the Great Recession, John Ganzi, Coyote Loop's take-no-guff narrator, has, at 44, already outlived his father. He’s a wealthy options trader, divorced, and his only friend is his disgruntled clerk, who he grew up with—two lower-class kids from the Southside, now made good. When Jeanie, Ganzi’s estranged teenage daughter, unexpectedly moves in with him, he sees an opportunity to one-up his old man by being the one thing his own father never was: a dad. Jeanie, however, despite her virginal veneer, turns out to be carrying on the family legacy of deception and addiction. When tragedy strikes, father and daughter must reconcile to help each other evolve into better versions of themselves—or risk losing everything. Adapt or Die: it should be scrawled in Latin across the Ganzi family crest.

Through an unforgettable narrative voice, Coyote Loop portrays a worldly, biting, and immutable character who bull-charges through his days. Coyote Loop is the story of one rapidly changing city, in this case, Chicago, and a financial system fueled by oversized personalities and boundless greed. Portraying a unique, fiercely loyal, and often funny parent-child dynamic, this novel explores how far we’ll go so that we don’t grow up to be our parents—and so that our children grow up to be something different, and better, than us.


Praise For Coyote Loop…
"As gritty and shrewd as Chicago itself, Coyote Loop brilliantly probes the underbelly of our city's famed trading pit in the nadir of 2008, where brutality and grace collide in John Ganzi: South Sider, struggling dad, and a character I won't soon forget."
—Emily Gray Tedrowe, author of The Talented Miss Farwell

"In John Ganzi, Fiore gives us a fast-talking, foul-mouthed, money grubbing options trader we would love to hate—if only we could. As he navigates fatherhood and friendship, and runs headlong into his own tragic flaws, he earns our hearts."
—Heather Newton, author of Under The Mercy Trees

"Irreverent, funny, heartfelt...Coyote Loop drops us into a bull pit in Chicago at the peak of the ‘08 recession, guided by a trader’s voice that seems the very eye to our human condition. Masterfully spun and deeply entertaining, Fiore has delivered us a literary grenade with the pin pulled."
—Owen Duffy, author of One Summer on Cutthroat Lake

"Fiore paints this world with the practiced hand of a skilled writer as a man and a city are on the verge of change. Like all good fiction, Coyote Loop takes us to a place we hadn’t expected, yet somehow entertains and informs at the same time. This is a novel you don’t want to miss."
—Steve Cushman, author of Hopscotch: a Novel

Adelaide Books, 9781954351370, 336pp.
Publication Date: January 30, 2021

About The Author

L.C. Fiore’s new novel is Coyote Loop (Adelaide Books, 2021).

His historical novel The Last Great American Magic won Novel of the Year from Underground Book Reviews. His debut novel, Green Gospel (Livingston Press), was named First Runner-Up in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards (General Fiction); short-listed for the Balcones Fiction Prize; and long-listed for the Crook’s Corner Book Prize.

His fiction has appeared in Ploughshares, Michigan Quarterly Review, New South, and storySouth, among many others, and has been anthologized in Sudden Flash Youth: 65 Short Short Stories (Persea Books) and Tattoos (Main Street Rag).

An award-winning short-story writer and editor, his work has also appeared on NPR, TriQuarterly Review, The Good Men Project, and in various baseball publications, including The Love of the Game: Essays by Lifelong Fans (McFarland & Co.).

He is the host of the A440 Podcast. He is the communications director for the North Carolina Writers’ Network and lives in Chapel Hill, NC, with his wife and family.

336 pages, Paperback

Published January 30, 2021

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8 people want to read

About the author

L.C. Fiore

6 books26 followers
L.C. Fiore's new novel is Coyote Loop (Adelaide Books, 2021).

His novel, The Last Great American Magic, won Novel of the Year from Underground Book Reviews.

His debut novel, Green Gospel (Livingston Press), was named First Runner-Up in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards (General Fiction), short-listed for the Balcones Fiction Prize, and long-listed for the Crook's Corner Book Prize.

His short fiction has appeared in Ploughshares, Michigan Quarterly Review, New South, The Ottawa Object, and storySouth, among many others, and has been anthologized in Sudden Flash Youth: 65 Short Short Stories (Persea Books) and Tattoos (Main Street Rag).

An award-winning short-story writer and editor, his work has also appeared on NPR, TriQuarterly Review, and in various baseball publications, including The Love of the Game: Essays by Lifelong Fans (McFarland & Co.). He is the host of The A440 Podcast (www.a440pod.com).

He is the communications director for the North Carolina Writers’ Network and lives in Chapel Hill, NC, with his family

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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1,976 reviews167 followers
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June 25, 2021
None of this would work so well, including the story’s powerful climax and enigmatic ending, without a talented author as a guide, and Fiore delivers. In his hands, COYOTE LOOP is like a Chicago wind in April that can’t forget the dark, cold winter and brings only hints of better weather for the relationships that matter most in our lives.

Read the full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2021/06/25/fract...
Profile Image for Robert.
Author 1 book8 followers
July 24, 2021
I've never been to Chicago, but now I feel as if I have. Wow, the details, really mesmerizing.

This guy John, the main character: I don't think he's someone I would want to spend time with, but I could not look away. He could clearly use a course in good decision making, but I have to admit that many of his decisions drove the plot like a turbo engine. C'mon, John, really? Did you just do that? Yes, apparently you did. Oh my. Okay, here we go.

Top-notch writing here, good story structure and character trajectory. More, please!
2 reviews
April 5, 2021
Rich character who will make you laugh and cry

No one writes a character like Fiore. JAG is hopeless and beautiful and tough and sad and hilarious. I want to smack him and be his friend. So basically, he's exactly like every real person.

Fiore brings to life an otherwise boring place during the awful, gritty Chicago winter. But I couldn't put it down!
Profile Image for Laura Jo.
28 reviews
October 9, 2021
A great read. Fiore's story draws you in from the opening pages to the final climax. The main character's blind spots become your own, and you can't help but follow him as he confidently stumbles forward.
Profile Image for Maryanne.
150 reviews1 follower
October 28, 2022
Really liked this, course it had the flavors of my old stomping grounds and these characters seem like people I know. Also like the NC ties of its author. I'll look for his work again!
Profile Image for Owen Duffy.
Author 7 books23 followers
April 13, 2021
Powerful and realistic portrayal of a successful father who realizes the error of his lavish ways only when his smart, estranged teenage daughter begins heading down a similar path.

The kind of book you want to read again just after you’ve finished, and sticks with you a long while after.

Profile Image for L.C. Fiore.
Author 6 books26 followers
August 18, 2021
"The first strength to note about this astute and compelling story is its ability to draw readers into the bullring of stock trading and operations, a highly charged atmosphere that is purposeful, passionate, and rife with struggle and change."
—Midwest Book Reviews

“An exquisitely written tale about relationships that evolves into a special sort of love story...Coyote Loop feels like Chicago. The Windy City takes the stage as a character, breathing and heaving with both its beauty and warts. L.C. Fiore’s new novel belongs on your must-read list.”
—Windy City Reviews

“This novel stands out not only for creating an unforgettable, all-too-human protagonist in John Andrew Ganzi, but also for taking us inside the fascinating, exotic world of options traders.”
—Southern Literary Review, "June Read of the Month"

"Coyote Loop is deft and balanced, written in prose that is fluid and replete with mesmerizing descriptions.... Themes of love, family, relationships, parenting, and authenticity are elaborately written. L. C. Fiore's engaging humor flows naturally throughout the exciting ride with John Ganzi."
—Readers' Favorite
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

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