• The Low Desert

  • Gangster Stories
  • By: Tod Goldberg
  • Narrated by: Johnny Heller
  • Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (79 ratings)

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The Low Desert  By  cover art

The Low Desert

By: Tod Goldberg
Narrated by: Johnny Heller
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Publisher's summary

Raymond Carver meets Elmore Leonard in this extraordinary collection of contemporary crime writing set in the critically acclaimed Gangsterland universe, a series called "gloriously original" by the New York Times Book Review.

With gimlet-eyed cool and razor-sharp wit, these spare, stylish stories from a master of modern-crime fiction assemble a world of gangsters and con men, of do-gooders breaking bad and those caught in the crossfire. The uncle of an FBI agent spends his life as sheriff in different cities, living too close to the violent acts of men; a cocktail waitress moves through several desert towns trying to escape the unexplainable loss of an adopted daughter; a drug dealer with a penchant for karaoke meets a talkative lawyer and a silent clown in a Palm Springs bar.

Witty, brutal, and fast-paced, these stories expand upon the saga of Chicago hitman-turned-Vegas-rabbi Sal Cupertine - first introduced in Gangsterland and continued in Gangster Nation - while revealing how the line between good and bad is often a mirage.

©2021 Tod Goldberg (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

What listeners say about The Low Desert

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Tod Goldberg is awesome.

amazing story telling. and the narrator brings out every character and draws you in. top notch.

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excellent

superb short gangster fiction and outstanding narrator. will be looking for more by author and narrator.

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2 people found this helpful

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pretty good

not as good as the first 2 books of the series, but I still enjoyed it.

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Best Book I have listened to this year .

This is a great read. Tod Goldberg spins some compelling tales. The Narration is spot on.
Rabbi Cohen even makes a appearance.

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

Disjointed.

If you’re going to listen to this book make to do it all in one sitting

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    4 out of 5 stars

Very entertaining and well written

A series of interconnected vignettes with a street wise voice and wry humor. Well performed. I enjoyed it very much, may read or listen again.

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Great listen!!!!!

loving this guy's stuff with every listen. Great job intertwining first two books. As always Johhny Heller crushes it!!!!!!!!!

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Enthralling

This collection adds to the mythos of the previous books, giving us bonus insight to some of the previous characters not named Cupertine. I was sad when I came to the end.

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Treat yourself to all three

Clever, literary, entertaining (though often violent) stories narrated very well by Johnny Heller. Several connect directly to Goldberg’s Gangsterland and Gangster Nation characters and story lines, so you’ll definitely enjoy these more if you’ve heard those first. Also, be sure to listen to the stories in order, as the fates of a few characters evolve over time.

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Gangsterland series

Enjoyed the fact he used characters from the gangsterland stories. That the narrator sounds like Joe Pesci adds great flavor. Love the whole gangsterland series.

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