Reviewed By: David Biemann
![[Book Cover graphic]](http://www.booksnbytes.com/book_covers/cirni_kissoff.gif)
The Kiss Off
Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Jim Cirni
Class/Genre: Mystery
1987 Soho 226 pages $10.00 Trade
Frankie Fontana came to New York for the women and the excitement. He couldn't sit still behind a desk and got himself fired from his job as an accountant. He's clean, but the lure of the crime scene is too much for him. It's where the action is, where the cool people hang. Now, he's tending bar with his friend Tommy Milano. The bar they work at is owned by a drug dealer, who because of his gambling, has taken on Tommy's Uncle, the mobster Charlie Gizzo, as a partner.
This is a rapid paced story, the dialog is snappy, the characters fairly realistic. It does date itself with references to music and movies that should the book live on will seem quaint. It sags a little bit in the middle when the internal monolog and plot machinations start to drive you toward wanting to finish but it picks up nicely with a twist ending and a dash of violence that make this a good example of modern noir.
David Biemann
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, David Biemann
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