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Fast Times, Big City Kindle Edition

by Shelly Frome (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 4 ratings
See all formats and editions
Like most people, Bud Palmer felt this was just another day. Though the era was drawing to a close, he assumed his life as a sports columnist in the subtropics, in keeping with the benign fifties itself, would go on as predictable as ever. But that particular autumn morning he was thrust into a caper that was totally beyond him, forced him to leave Miami and take the train to Manhattan, and suddenly found everything in this restless "Big Apple" was up for grabs, on the brink, at a dicey turning point.
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  1. Print length
    268 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    BQB Publishing
  5. Publication date
    June 22, 2023
  6. File size
    2684 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

Fast Times, Big City
Fast Times, Big City
Fast Times, Big City
Fast Times, Big City
Fast Times, Big City

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at UConn, a former professional actor, and a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He also is a features writer for Gannet Publications. His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn; Lilac Moon; Twilight of the Drifter; Tinseltown Riff; Murder Run; Moon Games; The Secluded Village Murders; Miranda and the D-Day Caper; and Shadow of the Gypsy. Fast Times, Big City is his latest foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth.

He lives in Black Mountain, NC. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C92RW97K
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ BQB Publishing (June 22, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 22, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2684 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 268 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ B0C8CBLC2C
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
4 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

PatF
5.0 out of 5 stars Seat catching mystery!
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2024
This is the second book read by this author and again he has kept my interest from the very beginning to the very end. Frome’s writing style is very descriptive and well put together. His details of the streets of NYC in the 50’s seem to be well researched and thought out. The idea of bringing the gangster from the 50’s into the plot added a surprise element that made this plot so believable and interesting. This book will get your heart racing as the anticipation builds up and you wait to see what happens! A book I would highly recommend.
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Joan N.
4.0 out of 5 stars Immersion in 1950s culture
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2024
Frome immerses his readers into the culture of 1950s New York and broader to political events in Ireland and Cuba. It was fun to read about television shows and movies of the era. Frome is a master at creating the setting with wonderful descriptions of places.

The plot itself was slow and methodical. There was one scene with a bit of suspense but mostly the action was Bud trying to get information as he ventures in New York City. Frome's writing style includes dialogue between mob people, sometimes cryptic and hard to follow. I felt is was a bit difficult to understand how Bud was supposed to complete the task he was given. Bud felt the same, it seems. About half way through the book, at the end of one of his conversations with the person who gave him his task, Bud admits, “...he didn't understand, not at all.” (1801/3520) I was with Bud at that point.

This is a novel for readers who would like an immersion into the era of the 1950s, the mob families of the time and their possible influence on international events.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read!
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2024
This is one of those titles that just makes you want to pick the book up. 'Fast Times, Big City,' by Shelly Frome is a thrill ride of a book, and one that definitely kept me guessing right up till the end. Having read a few of Frome's previous books, I knew that I was in for something special with this one, and I was absolutely right!
A lush 1950s setting creates the stage for this one-of-a-kind mystery surrounding a man named Bud Palmer and his uncle, Rick. See, Bud gets a call from his mother while she and his father are on a cruise, asking him to please check in on her younger brother.
Bud does not have a good feeling even before he makes it to his uncle's private detective office in Miami, so when he discovers Rick shaking in fear over a poker game gone wrong, Bud can't even really be surprised. But, being a generous soul, Bud agrees to talk to the man that Rick apparently pissed off with this poker game, only to discover that the man is apparently a well known gangster.
Al Escobar is not the kind of man that you mess around with, and he is very keen to get back a briefcase that he believes was stolen by someone Rick is in cahoots with. The thief is a pretty blonde who apparently fled to New York City, and this discovering leads to Bud boarding a train to NYC to find this blonde in a city of millions.
This was a killer read for me that ticked all of the boxes of what I like. Frome's writing is as excellent as always, and his grasp of what makes a plot work is still as rock solid as ever. I can't wait to read more from him in the future!
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DTChantel
5.0 out of 5 stars Madcap Romp Through the Fifties!
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2024
Fast times, big city says it all as we are treated to not one, but two, and maybe peripherally even three or four major cities, as the action jumps from Miami to New York City to mentions of Havana and even Dublin. And once the action gets rolling, it never stops. But it's action unlike any that's ever been mishmashed together before. In a madcap romp involving a runaway nubile starlet and a silver briefcase we have gangsters, mobsters, grifters, beatniks, buskers, beat poets, method actors, hot off the press reporters, precocious kids, wisecracking detectives, smarmy street dealers and meddling families. Along the way we pick up several famous and infamous characters who make an appearance for a scene or two and then reappear later with a more interesting role. Some only have a walk-on and are never seen again. But everything ends up wrapped up neatly with a bow and even sprinkled with some sugar on top at the very end.

I found this to be extremely humorous and tongue-in-cheek and firmly ensconced in New York City and Miami of the Fifties. The scenery, down to the food, clothing, music and art, were so well depicted that I felt like I was along for the ride with Bud. This is truly a unique tale and a must read for those who love a type of noir you don't find every day.

***I received a copy of this book from the author. My review is strictly voluntary.***
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