The Way of All Fish : A Novel

MARTHA GRIMES "GOES ENTERTAININGLY WONKY WITH THIS SEQUEL TO HER BESTSELLING FOUL MATTER . . . DELIVERING INSIDER PUBLISHING STUFF WITH ACIDULOUS WIT" ( LIBRARY JOURNAL ). In Grimes's new sendup of a world she knows very well, Candy and Karl, hitmen with a difference— they have scruples—once again venture into the murky Manhattan publishing scene. This time they come to the aid of a writer who is being sued by her unscrupulous literary agent, L. Bass Hess, a man determined to get a 15 percent commission for a book he didn't sell. The contract killers join forces with publishing mogul Bobby Mackenzie and megabestselling writer Paul Giverney to rid the mean streets of Hess, not by shooting him, but by driving him crazy. They are helped by other characters from Foul Matter and a crew of new colorful personalities, including an out-of-work Vegas magician, an alligator wrangler, a glamorous Malaysian con lady, and Hess's aunt in... An "absurdly amusing" ( The New York Times Book Review ) sequel to Martha Grimes's bestselling novel, Foul Matter , this wicked satire of the publishing industry is "comic, caustic, and relentlessly readable" ( Booklist ). Writer Cindy Sella is having trouble with her new novel. Aside from her paralyzing writer's block, she's faced with a lawsuit from her ex-agent, L. Bass Hess. Hess will stop at nothing to collect a commission from Cindy on her previous novel, which he did not represent since she had fired him long before it was published. Hitmen Candy and Karl—first introduced in Foul Matter —are asked to "get rid" of L. Bass Hess. They join forces with a publishing mogul, a bestselling author, an out-of-work Vegas magician, an alligator wrangler, a glamorous Malaysian con lady, and Hess's aunt in the Everglades who has undergone a wildly successful sex change, and concoct a plan to save Cindy Sella from the odious machinations of Hess by driving him (slowly, hilariously) crazy. Grimes's fans will delight in the return of several colorful characters from Foul Matter , including Senior Editor Clive Esterhaus, unprincipled publisher Bobby Mackenzie, and ex-mobster and author Danny Zito, currently under the witness protection program. New readers will find that these characters and their escapades shed an amusing light on the New York publishing scene. Informed and influenced by the author's own publishing adventures, " The Way of All Fish is a goofily offbeat delight" ( The Washington Post ). -- FOUL MATTER). In Grimes?s new sendup of a world she knows very well, Candy and Karl, hitmen with a difference? they have scruples?once again venture into the murky Manhattan publishing scene. This time they come to the aid of a writer who is being sued by her unscrupulous literary agent, L. Bass Hess, a man determined to get a 15 percent commission for a book he didn?t sell. The contract killers join forces with publishing mogul Bobby Mackenzie and megabestselling writer Paul Giverney to rid the mean streets of Hess, not by shooting him, but by driving him crazy. They are helped by other characters from Foul Matter and a crew of new colorful personalities, including an out-of-work Vegas magician, an alligator wrangler, a glamorous Malaysian con lady, and Hess?s aunt in Everglades City, who has undergone a wildly successful sex change. This wickedly funny sequel to Grimes?s bestselling novel Foul MatterThe New York Times Book Review) Krimi. Candy and Karl are hitmen. They venture into the Manhattan publishing scene and come to the aid of a writer who is being sued by her literary agent, L. Bass Hess, a man determined to get a 15% commission for a book he didn't sell. The contract killers join forces with publishing mogul Bobby Mackenzie and bestselling writer Paul Giverney to rid the mean streets of Hess, not by shooting him, but by driving him crazy Cindy Sella struggles with writer's block and a lawsuit by her unscrupulous former agent, L. Bass Hess, who is targeted by bumbling hitmen Candy and Karl's zany efforts to drive him out of New York City.