Fuckin' Lie Down Already

by Tom Piccirilli, Jeremy Caniglia (Illustrator)

Clay was an honest New York City cop driven to bring down the mob and make his city a little safer, even when it seemed like nothing he did made any difference. He always played by the rules until a two-bit junkie hit man destroyed his family and left him for dead. But Clay won’t let himself lie down until he gets one last revenge.Praise for Fuckin’ Lie Down Already Jack Ketchum, author of RED and THE “This is a small masterpiece. It’s said that the devil’s in the details and Tom got all the details exactly right. I always said Pic was one to watch. Fuck watching. He’s utterly there. A voice to listen to and learn from.” Ed Gorman, author of THE POKER CLUB, THE AUTUMN DEAD and THE DAY THE MUSIC “Short, tight, effective crime fiction. My kind of writing.” Bill Pronzini, author of SPOOK and STEP TO THE GRAVEYARD “Hard, hard, hard noir, very well done.” Al Sarrantonio, author of Moonbane and “A potent mix of GoodFellas and the classic 1950 Edmond O’Brien film D.O.A. A pedal-to-the-metal cops and mobsters roller coaster ride— this story delivers!”

Genres: Horror, Noir, Crime, Fiction, Novella, Short Stories, Mystery

73 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2003

About the author

Thomas Piccirilli (May 27, 1965 – July 11, 2015) was an American novelist and short story writer.

Piccirilli sold over 150 stories in the mystery, thriller, horror, erotica, and science fiction fields. He was a two-time winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for "Best Paperback Original" (2008, 2010). He was a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award. He was also a finalist for the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Award given by the Mystery Writers of America, a final nominee for the Fantasy Award, and the winner of the first Bram Stoker Award given in the category of "Best Poetry Collection".

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella starts out with one of the best book introductions I've read in a while. In it, author Jack O'Connell details the time when he and Piccirilli got drunk at a Hollywood restaurant, drove over to some random road-side church in East LA with a mission to light votive candles in honor of David Goodis, and ended up getting beaten up by a gang of cholos. That alone was worth the 3 bucks.

I've collected several books by author Tom Piccirilli over the past year. I discovered him after seeing that he was a major influence on Lee Thompson, who I'm already a fan of. I've been meaning to read some of his work and recently saw the news that he has unfortunately passed away. He has many very loyal fans and it's made me want to get more familiar with the work and legacy he's left behind. And what a great place to start. Fuckin' Lie Down Already starts where most books of its kind have their climax! Clay, a Brooklyn cop that's been raising hell for a New York mob family for years, discovers that his family has been slaughtered by his enemies. With an unbelievable resolve and his guts hanging out, he stalks the night with vengeance on his mind. It's a short tale that packs a powerful punch. And thanks to Piccirilli's no-holds-barred prose, we are right there with Clay on his agonizing, almost unbearable journey in all its painful detail. This might not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're a fan of dark and gloomy crime fiction like I am, head over to your favorite ebook vendor and fuckin' buy this one already.

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

" Coincidence only carries so far, and then you just have to figure that the universe wants to fuck you up as much as possible."
What a great opening line!

This is more like a short story than a novella, but it was good just the same. A straight up brutal revenge tale with no punches pulled. Recommended!

[Paul Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

At just over 70 pages Fuckin Lie Down Already packs an emotional gut punch akin to taking a rib cracking body shot that sets you down on the canvas for the count.

This is a wonderful piece of fatalistic fiction that bears all the hallmarks of classic film noir in the mood of pessimism, menace and cynical characters of the stylish crime dramas that pitted the mob against the questionable loyalty of the law.

Clay is a New York cop, the mob send a hitman to put the scares on him and his family but the heart breaking tragedy that follows tears the soul from the man and with thoughts only of vengeance, we follow every painful step as he embarks on a violent revenge.

There’s no beating around the bush with this novella, we’re flung into the middle of the story with a slowly revealing meeting with another cop, wrenched back to a highly emotional start and then swallowed by the darkness as we join the manhunt for the perpetrators.
This is intense, agonizing and some of the hardest hitting fiction you’re likely to read.
Highly recommended.

[Gef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grim, relentless, and gut wrenching.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this great little novella is like having Floyd Mayweather use your head as a speed bag for 45 minutes! Absolutely no let up. Clay's been gut shot and left for dead but he's not gonna die until he gets revenge.

[Allison | crazypageturner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clay is an officer in New York and comes home to find his family murdered and the intruder still in the house. He gets shot and is left for dead but won’t let himself die. Not without first exacting his revenge on the people who did this to him.

A quick read about a classic topic: mobsters versus police in NYC.

I love a good ol revenge story! Hurt me and I’m gunna hurt you twice as bad! Even if it’s the last thing I do😤

I dug the premise a lot, the writing kept my attention, and u get to learn about the crooked system Clay was constantly fighting. I just found the timeline of events too long to be believable. I’m hung up on that for some reason…however, this was definitely entertaining and would recommend to anybody looking for a quick action packed read.

[Scott Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read some dark books lately, but a cop out for revenge driving around in a car with his dead wife and son, that's about as dark as it gets. This is a quick, vicious read about how bad men can push someone to become even worse than them. Thoroughly enjoyable and I'll need to get round to some Piccirilli novels now. (Join the queue, buddy.)

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Am I the only one who read this in spite of the title rather than because of it?
Anyway, FLDA is a reasonably entertaining mix of horror and hardboiled noir. It's gritty, absurdly over-the-top, and demented in a way that often doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I enjoyed it as a guilty pleasure, but it certainly isn't something I'd want on my bookshelf.

[Richard Gerlach · Rating 5 out of 5]

How will far will you go to get revenge? Will you chase down the man who killed you while there's a bullet lodged in your stomach and your guts are seeping out? Will you drive your car with the bodies of your dead wife and son, sitting in your own excrement and bodily fluids? Will you refuse to lie down because you have one more person to kill? That's exactly what happens to Clay, does he get his revenge? Read and find out.

Thus begins my first Piccirilli book. I listen to Brian Keene's weekly Podcast "The Horror Show With Brian Keene," it's a fantastic listen, even if you don't like horror. A few episodes ago, Somer Canon was on and Keene gave her this book, which intrigued me based on the title. Last week, Keene continued to talk about how great Piccirilli is. So, I bought the book to find out. Was I prepared for this book? No, nobody is. This book grabs you by the throat and throws you own the ground. Then it stabs you over and over and over again, until your dying and laying in your own bodily fluids. This book is an intense ride that doesn't let up. To put it short, this book is a homage to 1970s b cop vigilante movies. It's brutal, it's violent, and its intense.

Here we have Clay, a New York cop who's trying to take down the mob. Clay was a very by the book cop, and his dabble in anger control and alcoholism make him kind of a cliche, but it works in this characters favor. However, when a junkie kills his wife and son and leaves him for dead. The rules don't really apply to Clay anymore. The only thing that matters is revenge, and Clay won't lay down until he gets it.

Honestly, this book is fantastic. It's short but sweet (or it's short but covered in guts and piss and shit, but your call), and its intense. This book doesn't really let down until it's conclusion. It opens up and takes you on a ride you never wanted to go on, you're feeling uncomfortable the entire time but too afraid to say anything, and when it's over, you're relieved that it's done and you realize it wasn't so bad. Piccirilli is a fantastic author and I plan to read more of his works. If you like revenge thrillers, this book is a must read.

Pros: Characterization is fantastic, descriptions are vivid, and the prose is very bleak

Cons: If you have a weak stomach, this book isn't for you

[Chris Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brutal little novella, with more punch than your average novel. A tragic loss, a writer at his peak (maybe), Piccirilli left us many gems worth a read or two even.
A crime novel in its raw barest form.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes I read this, yes it was great!!

[Sanmargan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book reminded me of Jeremy Saulnier's movies.

[Matt Neil Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does NOT fuck about. A grim, sad, breakneck tale of revenge told in sparse prose with no more time to waste than its gutshot protagonist.

[David Flinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those stories that doesn't allow you to pause for anything outside of a direct emergency. If you start reading this, you will not stop until the end; and if you're like me, you're gonna be upset that it did end at all.

[Tim Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Piccirilli’s stunning novella Fuckin’ Lie Down Already is a book that will leave readers thinking that it’s possible to hold one’s breath for the better part of 100 pages. The story is firmly rooted in revenge justice and includes strong elements of noir and horror. The prose is beautiful and vulgar, the dialogue is rapid-fire and rings authentic and the action is full of down-and-dirty violence and viscera.

The characters are relatable, and, without a doubt, brutal in thought and action. Clay, the protagonist of the tale is obsessed with revenge and extracting violent retribution from the men responsible for his family’s death and his being gut-shot. There is no doubt from the outset that Clay has received a mortal wound. It is clear he is going to die and it’s one of the strengths of the book that the reader knows where things will ultimately end but is still kept on the edge of their seat. The unknown element is whether or not Clay will get the revenge he seeks before his painful, festering wound kills him. It’s a situation that leaves the reader cheering for revenge and wanting those responsible for Clay’s upcoming death to suffer like he has.

It’s fair to say that all of the characters are living in a world of greed, hate and violence. In the case of Clay this holds true but is easily forgiven. Clay’s wife and son were no doubt good people with different motivations, but they start the book dead in Clay’s car and don’t have the chance to display their personalities. At various times the bodies of his family share the car ride with an annoying neighbor’s dead dog, roadkill, a dying junkie and other nightmarish characters.

Clay fights his way through the pain and deteriorating mental stability in an attempt to find and kill those who have killed him. Or will have killed him in short order. Clay’s condition is best described in an exchange between his actual killer and the man who ordered his killing.

“I thought you told me this cop was dead.”
“Look at him, he is.”
“Not enough!”

There is plenty of horror in the book in addition to the idea of a dying man in a car full of the dead on a road to revenge. Clay buys deodorizers and air fresheners to keep the smell of death in his car at bay. It’s behavior much like that of a junkie who keeps scoring a fix, each bigger than the last and none really working as well as it has in the past.

Fuckin’ Lie Down Already is a novella that the reader will not want to end, but, because of the major plot device it has too, and before it gets very long. The concept of starting the book with a man who is undeniably dying is bold and dynamic and the author makes it work perfectly. The wild ride that is the novella keeps going until the ending that is satisfying, naturally evolved and inevitable.

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bold title, bold book.Take the most tragic cop novels, rip the last twenty pages off and rewrite them as a standalone story. Death is a strange thing to talk about in fiction, because usually when a character die, he falls off the page. But here, Clay dies throughout the story and Piccirilli makes it as visceral and excruciating as possible. Not for every reader, due to the graphic description, but damn it if Tom Piccirilli isn't a master at taking a tired idea (the wiseguy novel), flip it upside down and attack it from a fresh (freakish) angle. It's an emotional, guttural thrill ride like only him can write. If you're looking for something unique, that'll shake you from your habits as a reader or if you just like your noir as dark as possible, this will be deeply satisfying. Another short gem from the master.

[Mike Kazmierczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is an extremely fast paced, hard hitting story. It's actually more of a novella than a novel but either way it kicks ass. Exactly what you would expect from a story titled like this one. The story is part Punisher (the comic book), part detective movie, and part revenge.

Clay is a detective investigating the mob and he's doing a good job of it. He starts to get too close, so the mob orders a hit on him and his family. Wounded but not down, Clay tracks down those responsible and gets justice.

For a story that is pretty simplistic, Piccirilli does a great job of making you care for the characters. You wish for Clay to do the smart thing and get them later but at the same time you see his pain and know he can't do anything else. It took me a little while to track down a copy of this book but I'm super glad that I did. Do the right thing and find your own copy soon.

[G. Munson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast read, much shorter than I had expected but very much worth the read. It's a classic revenge story, full of venom, violence, and plenty of payback. Oh yeah, and guts. Lots of guts. It has a real 70's brutal cop feel to it that I dug. There's not much more to say because it's so short, but I will forewarn folks that there's a dead kid in it...I believe that everything's fair game, but I know that's a line with some people so consider yourself warned.

[Heath Lowrance · Rating 5 out of 5]

FUCKIN’ LIE DOWN ALREADY has got to win some sort of award for Most Grueling Novella ever. Mortally wounded, and with his dead wife and son in tow, Clay sets out on a road trip to Hell, bent on revenge. His life seeping away with every second, he keeps holding on, holding on, until his bloody job is done. This is a gruesome, violent ride, horrific and heartfelt.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novella length work about revenge, and is probably the most brutal such story I've ever read. When they say you've got to put your main character through hell, well this one surely did. Well written and fast paced.

[James Tuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn. I mean damn. Read it in one night. Loved it.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was an absolutely amazing novella. i devoured it in one sitting. there is no one better at writing gritty, ultra violent crime stories than piccirilli.

[Chris Bowsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title and cover should set your expectations pretty high because the book will totally live up to them.

[Jaded · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most hopeless tales I've ever read.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a plate of violence. There is a narrative but no story. I enjoyed it, but I am not sure who I would recommend it to.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good crime novella.

[Zafir Ignatov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent !

[Aleck H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast, fun, and a cheerleader fetish.

[Dennis Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little bed time story that's if you're a sicko but what read. A short sharp shock! Only real complaint thought it a bit overpriced for the length of the story.