Mafiya by Charlie Stella

Now I see why East Coast Don was high on Charlie Stella, this being one he has not read yet, and the only one which has come to Amazon’s kindle. The action takes place in NYNY and involves a retired detective, Jack Russo, a former prostitute, Agnes, a bad cop, Michael Lyons, and the Russian Mafiya. There are subplots that help with character development, like Jack’s son who suffers a severely fractured leg when he runs into a car while trying to catch a football. Stella does a great job delivering a staccato style dialogue which carries the action effectively. The plot is fast and aggressive. There is a racially mixed group of characters. As I sometimes do, I’m including a one-liner from bad cop Lyons to heroic Russo, both white guys, in reference to intimate encounters with African-Americans: “I’ve tested the dark side myself. It isn’t all that bad, they trim the Brillo pad.” With murders happening everywhere, some of them being quite grizzly, it is, my professional opinion is that Charlie Stella is a sick man and that we are all the richer for his writing efforts. Thanks Charlie.

West Coast Don