The Circumstantial Man - Softcover

Reilly, Gary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 099086667X ISBN 13: 9780990866671

Publisher: Running Meter Press, 2018

Synopsis

All he wanted to do that day was drive into town to look for a job. But when Pete Larkey turns the ignition key, his car won't start. He decides to walk to town. He'll have a morning beer at the Lemon Tree Lounge and buy a new battery for his car. He refuses to feel victimized. At least, he tries. But inside the bar is "the last man on earth" that Pete Larkey wants to see. A guy named Morton will ask a few questions that will change the course of Pete Larkey's life in a deep, dark way. There's a stolen car, a hit-and-run accident, mistaken identity, a body in his bathroom and a deadly encounter with a condescending con man named Benny. Pete Larkey knows he's not a perfect fit for the squeaky-clean town of Crestmoor. "Everything in Crestmoor is clean and tidy," he thinks, "except the inner lives of people like me." This innocent trip to fix his car will prove that point beyond a shadow of a doubt.

About this title

About the Author

Gary Reilly's first published short story, The Biography Man, was included in The Iowa Review (1977,Vol. IV) and the fourth volume of the Pushcart Prize Anthology in 1978. (The Biography Man is available in Kindle store.) It was the last fiction he published in his lifetime. But he didn't stop writing. When he died in 2011, Gary left behind 25 novels. Eleven have been published posthumously, including eight comic novels in The Asphalt Warrior series and a trilogy based on Gary's experiences during The Vietnam War. The Circumstantial Man is a standalone novel of suspense.

Review

"It all starts with a dead battery. Or is it dead? Pete Larkey's decision not to jiggle the wires before heading off to the auto shop sets in motion the worst two days the divorced, unemployed loner living in suburban exile has ever experienced. His car is stolen, a friend is badly hurt, and Larkey finds himself the key suspect in crime after terrible crime ... Larkey is an introspective soul for whom his days from hell induce not only mortal fear but existential dread and, ultimately, a search for meaning. More than simply wondering about whether he'll survive, he wonders what kind of person he really is--and that question is as terrifying as anything. This idiosyncratic,absurdist wrong-man scenario works its own kind of magic, casting a spell like a waking nightmare. Rarely has a book about a man forced to dig his own grave offered such a rich psychological portrait." - Booklist (starred review)

"Reading The Circumstantial Man is a stunning experience. Rarely do a natural gift for storytelling and an enthralling, lyrical style come together in a single author, but that's unquestionably the case with Gary Reilly. As I read this unstoppable novel, I couldn't help but think: what a truly unique voice and approach to fiction--the same reaction I had reading Thomas McGuane and Cormac McCarthy for the first time, two authors with similar visions, by the way. I guarantee you'll savor every page of the unpredictable adventures of the wonderful Pete Larkey." - Jeffery Deaver, No. 1 Internationally Best-Selling author of The Cutting Edge

"The Circumstantial Man is a remarkable mystery--clever and sly and filled with twists and turns. Larkey's asides and his view of his life are filled with humor and insight. This is a terrific read, and one that almost didn't get published ... Eleven Reilly novels are in print, including eight in The Asphalt Warrior series about a cab driver, and three in the Vietnam Series, telling about the life of a veteran. The Circumstantial Man, a standalone novel, is the best of the lot so far. You can't help but wonder why no one sought to print it when Reilly was alive." - The Denver Post

"The Circumstantial Man is a novel of relentless suspense that kept me reading late into the night. The terrific narrative voice, wry humor, deliciously wacky characters, and insightful musings of a man trapped in equal measure by his own actions and a series of fateful events will make you laugh, squirm, and peer through your fingers as you turn the next page. Pete Larkey is an Everyman who provides a warning we should all heed: if you have a choice when the roads diverge, choose carefully." - Barbara Nickless, best-selling author of the Sydney Parnell crime novels including Blood on the Tracks and Dead Stop                                                                                                    

"Imagine if Raymond Chandler had taken a pass on Philip Marlowe and instead channeled the Dude from The Big Lebowski. Now meet Pete Larkey, the enormously entertaining hero in Gary Reilly's new novel, The Circumstantial Man. Larkey makes a habit of pondering the imponderable.Are we in control of the events that make up the ebb and flow of our lives? Or are we merely puppets, at the mercy of random chance, our lives little more than a compilation of circumstance and consequence? For Larkey, such existential musings get cooked down to the simplest of questions--why didn't I wiggle the wires on my car battery? Interested? You should be. This is a fascinating read from an undeniably original voice. Check it out." -  Michael Harvey, author of Brighton and The Governor's Wife

About this edition

• Publisher: Running Meter Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 099086667X
• ISBN 13: 9780990866671
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256