Shelf Talk Blog: Watch & Read: Ozark

Press release from Shelf Talk Blog:

September 7, 2021

Ozark is one of those shows that is just pure madness – it snakes in on itself in perpetual chaos. No breaks, no ease, just edge of your seat shenanigans the whole time. And I can’t get enough! While we wait for the next season, here are a few items in our collection that will also have you saying, WTF?!

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell

Bazell gives us a brutal and entertaining rollercoaster ride, punctuated with clever footnotes. His main character, Dr. Peter Brown, is working as an intern in a Manhattan hospital, and his daily encounters of blood and mayhem don’t even come close to his nightmarish past career as a hit man for the mob. Pietro “Bearclaw” Brnwna went into witness protection, changed his name, went to medical school and thought he’d left his past behind. But when patient Nicholas LoBrutto recognizes Dr. Brown, he asks him to help him beat the reaper – or the mob will be told where to findhim.

The Nightworkers by Brian Selfon

It’s a family business: Uncle Shecky launders money and teaches his nephew, Henry, and niece, Kerasha, the trade. But everyone has secrets in this family, and when money goes missing, those secrets will rise to the surface. In this exceptionally good crime novel, the characters are developed beautifully and the sense of place truly shines. Just as the Ozarks are a character in that series, so here we delve into the avenues and back alleys of Brooklyn.

The Family Hightower by Brian Francis Slattery

You have two cousins named Peter Henry Hightower, both named after their grandfather, a Ukranian-American crime boss. One grows up to become a journalist, and the other follows his familial roots and becomes a criminal. A phone call will set in motion a case of mistaken identity.
Ultimately a story about family, and how sins of the father affect everyone going forward as they attempt to leave a life of crime or poverty, or just the burden of their family name.

The Exceptions by David Cristofano

The second book in the Melody Grace McCartney Series, after The Girl She Used to Be. This can be read as a standalone or companion novel- it’s purely the same story as the first one, but we get a new perspective in the form of Jonathan Bovaro, the man sent to kill Melody. Although Melody can put his mafioso father away for a very long time, there is something about her that stops him in his tracks. Will he turn his back on his family to be with the women who has stolen his heart, or will he continue to love her from afar to keep her safe? A great read about being stuck in your fate and another fantastic book with a great sense of place.

This press release was produced by Shelf Talk Blog. The views expressed here are the author’s own.