A Long Slow Screw

by Eugene S. Robinson

The first novel from OXBOW's EUGENE S. ROBINSON, and the second publication after the release of his 2007 book FIGHT: EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ASS KICKING BUT WERE AFRAID YOU'D GET YOUR ASS KICKED FOR ASKING [Harper Collins], A LONG SLOW SCREW is a two-fisted hardboiled crime saga set in 1970s New York that closely follows a diamond heist gone right and then murderously wrong. Featuring a passel of punks, tough broads, shysters and homicidal homos, A LONG SLOW SCREW draws heavily on Robinson's real life involvement with elements partially detailed in his best-selling FIGHT, weaving a fictional story of the chaotic pre-9/11 world of New York City. A native New Yorker himself, Robinson's novel reads like a travelogue to the business end of a bunch of very, very bad things.

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[ABC Group]

Robinson's first novel is a good read. It's not great, but it's good. Crime fiction tends to read like police procedurals or pulp fiction. Robinson pleasantly avoids the pitfalls of both genres.

A Long Slow Screw tends to lean toward the pulp end of things but it doesn't stuffer from the standard cliches. There are 4 characters the drive the overall narrative: Jake, Joe, Blue and Easy. Admittedly, Jake is the most likable of the bunch but I found Joe and Blue to be a bit more complicated. Their characters developed with a bit more subtlety. The narrative turns toward Jake's upbringing and childhood seemed abrupt and rattled the story. I found myself re-reading the sections where these historical tidbits were placed.

Overall, I liked the book. I'm a fan of Eugene's music and he's a cool guy too. It was nice to read his book out of want rather then feeling like the obligatory fan. If you're looking for Oxbow on paper though, you're looking in the wrong place. Eugene is more than a front man and a fighter...and he exemplifies this rather well in his first novel.

[Luke]

In which Eugene S. Robinson, singer, fight aficionado and all-around smooth criminal takes us on a tour of NYC in the '70s. Hard-boiled and relentless, the story is one of inevitable disappointment. The horror movie "Don't go in there! You fucking idiot!" trope is well served here, with - as in the best noir - the unfortunate end telegraphed well in advance, as unavoidable as death. It's a suitable title, that's for sure.

There's some typesetting issues in some parts of the book, but ignore that - this is great, grim crime and begs to be made into a film. Whether Hollywood would support a film about hot rocks, obese crime figures, the stench of favouritism and sadistic homosexual gangster bench-pressers is dubious, but it'd be a hell of a ride.

Write another one, Eugene. This is tasty pulp.

[Everthere]

Robinson doesn't do subtlety or cerebral soul-searching but that's OK -- a well-made burger can taste as delicious as a gourmet meal. So spread your cheeks for a long slow screw, after which you'll wake up to Tarantino cooking you a breakfast of black coffee, burnt toast and hard-boiled eggs.

[Pierre Allain]

Hard-boiled.