Mark Twain once said, "A friend is someone who stays in when the
rest of the world has gone out." Our Friend Jimmie (ISBN-10: 1419651951 ) by James D. Sweat is about true friendship. Jimmie Collins is first generation Irish, fifty-four years old, great hair, good tan and is dying of cancer. Jimmie owns a bar in midtown Manhattan and is well connected with the Mafia. He has friends that are friends for life.
Preparing for his death Jimmie needs money to financially take care of his family after he is gone. Money that is laundered and hidden somewhere overseas. Jimmie needs someone to fly overseas and bring his money back. Rather than ask one of his friends to do the job for him, Jimmie turns to a bookie who assures him, "he's the right guy for the job." The drama begins when the money never returns and Jimmie has passed on to that great bar in the sky. Jimmie has friends and his friends take care of business and save the day.
In a recent interview the author said, "I wrote 'Our Friend Jimmie' because I'm always for the underdog. I enjoy real life situations where the little guy wins. In reality, it doesn't happen often so you cherish it when it does. I spend a lot of time studying people and the plot for "Our Friend Jimmie" came while I was in a bar in Manhattan. The bar was frequented by a lot of mafia types as well as people from the major networks and was a gold mine for studying different types of personalities. Most of the dialogue in the book was pieced together during conversations I either had or overheard."
Our Friend Jimmie is an intelligent mixture of hardboiled mystery and humor. The plot is set during the tragic time of September 11, 2001 The author says, The story actually selected the date. I did the initial draft during 9-11. I was writing when a friend called from the south tower and asked me what was going on. I turned on the news and was standing on my balcony on West 58th Street and saw the second plane hit. I told my friend to get the hell out but unfortunately she was told to stay. She did and died when the tower fell. Her body was never recovered.
Our Friend Jimmie is a literary gem. I rank this book as one of the best in its genre for 2007. This is a great book that would make a wonderful Hollywood film. If your looking for an inspiring and amusing book.
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1419651951
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Vietnam POW and former professional football player James Sweat's past has been riddled with violence and various run-ins with the law. With an MBA in mechanical engineering and now happily married, he has turned his penchant for crime to writing. He and his wife live in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla. Visit James online at http://www.jtsnovels.com
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