Gutshot Straight

By: Lou Berney

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

A crime caper in the tradition of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen, this fast and funny debut is the story of "Shake" Bouchon, fresh out of prison and ready for life on the straight and narrow—well, maybe after one last job....

When Charles "Shake" Bouchon, professional wheel man, walks out of prison after a three-year stretch for grand theft auto, he's got only two problems: he's too nice a guy for the life he's led and not nice enough for any other. So he says yes when he's asked to run a simple errand for his former boss and lover, Alexandra Ilandryan, the formidable pakhan of the Armenian mob in Los Angeles. All Shake has to do is deliver a package to Las Vegas and pick up a briefcase. Only the package turns out to be a wholesome young housewife named Gina whose husband has run afoul of Dick Moby, aka "The Whale", an unpleasant 400-pound Vegas strip-club owner. Shake hates to think what's going to happen to Gina when he delivers her to The Whale, so in a move that's as noble as it is boneheaded, he decides to set her free.

Now Shake and Gina are on the run to Panama, hoping to unload the very valuable—and highly unusual—contents of The Whale's briefcase. Shake could end up a rich man, but first he'll have to outmaneuver two angry crime bosses, a murderous Armenian thug plagued by erectile superfunction, a former pro football player who blames Shake for his romantic woes, and a billionaire swindler with a flair for the theatrical. Not to mention, and not the least, Shake will need to survive his own heart, since he's going to discover that wholesome housewife Gina is even more intriguing, and a lot more complicated, than he ever imagined.

Full of blindsided double-crosses and hard shots to the head, Gutshot Straight is a tale of love, luck, and larceny against the odds.

©2010 Lou Berney (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A highly entertaining caper novel.... Like Carl Hiaasen, Berney delights in the cartoonish. Like Elmore Leonard, he can drive a plot. What sets him apart is how well he evokes love, making the romance at the heart of this cinematic novel as compelling as the mystery." (The Boston Globe)

“This book is full of crooks, murderers, Mafia, strippers, and assorted villains, and Ballerini gives each character his or her own identity. This book is smart and sexy, and easily could be turned into a movie. Nonetheless, with Ballerini's performance, you don't need a screen—you can see it come together just by listening.” (AudioFile)

"The plot turns are constant, and the dialogue is sharp. The bad guys are wonderfully scary, and the locales—Las Vegas and Panama—are vividly drawn. The estimable Elmore Leonard might be very pleased to call Gutshot Straight his own." (Booklist)

A whole lotta fun.

This book kept me chuckling and guessing all the way through it; in fact, to the very last paragraph. Mr. Berney knows how to write a thriller, and he has a great sense of humor. Mr. Balerini, though, is a truly wonderful discovery. His feel for the material is absolutely commanding. His delivery of the funny stuff is dead-on; there are lines in the book which might be just mildly funny, but he makes them sing. The plot is inventive, taking Our Hero Shake through LA, Las Vegas and all the way to Panama City. The search for the religious relic is hilarious. I won't spoil it by telling you what everybody is fighting for; that's half the fun. Gina, our female star, is someone I can't really call a hero, but she sure is fun herself, if you are amused by a ruthless, amoral psychopath using her blazing sexuality to baffle every man in sight. I loved her. There are sleazy bad guys and complicated good guys, an obscenely wealthy dork whom you can't possibly do anything but hate, an extremely clever female Armenian gangster (yes, Armenian) and a bunch of others whom only Mr. Berney could invent. I hope he is working on another book, and I desperately hope Mr. Balerini reads it. More fun than a barrel of monkeys.

Great writing, awesome narration, great story!

Lou Berney has created the coolest hero I've encountered since Elmore Leonard's Chili Palmer in Get Shorty. And thank goodness for talent like Eduardo Ballerini to bring this story to life.

The story is suspenseful, fast paced and believable. Absolutely one of my favorite books!

Pretty standard fare

This is pretty standard suitcase-full-of-money fare. (Though in this case the suitcase is stuffed with something a good deal more bizarre and entertaining) Pleasant enough and nicely paced. The Panama setting where it ends up adds some tasty local color. The two characters at the center of the story are appealing and it is the tension between them which keeps us engaged when the plot wears a trifle thin. Berney writes with intelligence and some wit, so all in all I was happy to ride along with him to the end.

Delightfully entertaining

If you are looking for an entertaining story, beautifully read, you have come to the right place.

OK, you have to like a good crime story. You have to want it to have a sense of humour. You need to be happy for it to be a little off the wall, with a nice line in terse dialogue. you have to like a narrator who identifies with the characters, who IS them.

If you are up for that. Go for it. You will love it. I did.

This is the best audio book for sheer entertainment I have listened to for a while. More please, Lou. And stick with Edoardo. He's a keeper.

Way better than expected

This is a witty, fun, predictable, in a good way, and not predictable in a better way kind of listen. The characters were likable and real. Shake is almost too good to be true and Gina definitely is. This book is sexy on several levels. It doesn't take itself too seriously and in my opinion that pays off big in the end. I bought it on a whim not knowing there was a second book and wanted more when I was done and lucked out to see another book in the series. Let's hope it's as entertaining.

A lot of fun to listen to

I know when I enjoyed a book when it ends way before I wanted it to end. This was a well crafted story and the narration was spot on. I was not familiar with Mr. Ballerini prior to this listening(since I don't watch much television) and I thought that his interpretation of the characters added to what was already a very clever story with well developed characters. I concur with the listeners who likened the story to those written by Carl Hiassen. I thank those listeners whose reviews convinced me that this was a good next book to listen to and this is my attempt to pay it forward

Where did HE come from?

Don't know how I'd missed Lou Berney before, but this guy's totally got it. Comparisons to Hiassen and Crais don't do him justice, with no offense intended to those two masters. Tight plotting, cracking sharp dialog, characters with depth, dimension and believable backstories. A few too-twee plot devices for me (Dick Moby, an obese white bad guy? A horny, cranky Eastern European hit man with multiple medically-prescribed testosterone patches? A pair of identical twins named Darth and Vadar? Really?). No matter - just a tad off-putting. Oh yeah - Edoardo Ballerini an absolute pro here, as always. Five stars on all fronts, and on to series' next installment.

Face paced - great story and great narration

From chapter one this story takes off and hits the road running. If you are looking for a book that plays like a movie, this is it. Well done.

Nice surprise

This one surprised me. Really enjoyed the twists. Will be reading more from this author.