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MAN EATER
by Ray Shannon
G. P.Putnam's Sons, January 2003
280 pages
$23.95
ISBN: 0399149767

Antsy Carruth is desperate and on the run. She has left her no-good, cheating boyfriend and took something that did not belong to him. Now, someone wants his merchandise back and is willing to do something crazy in order to get it. Hiring a sociopath to track Antsy down would have been too nice. Now using Neon Polk, THAT is crazy.

Run, Antsy, Run.

Ronnie Deal is having a very bad day. A major movie star has backed out of her pet project at the last possible minute and now, she is scrambling to find a solution. She suspects that Andy Gleason, her nemesis at Velocity Pictures, is responsible and she wants to wring his neck. She is now at the Tiki Shack Bar enjoying her drink while she ponders her next move. If she could only vent her frustrations on someone.

Hey! Who is that big guy slapping that twitchy little woman. Isn't someone going to help that poor girl?

Neon Polk is one big, bad muddah who you do not want to mess with. He is so mean that the baddest drug dealer in Los Angeles knows better and always steers clear from him. Neon tracks Antsy down at the Tiki Shack Bar and is ready to have some fun. He just did not expect to be blindsided by another woman. To say that he is furious is a gross understatement. He underestimated Ronnie and wound up losing face. It is time for payback. These are some of the elements in a book that can only take place in a very strange land Hollywood, California.

Man Eater is the brainchild of an award-winning author who has reinvented himself as Ray Shannon. It is a story of sweet revenge where cutthroat negotiations between opposing drug dealers have nothing against two Hollywood producers and a movie deal. It is an entertaining story where the only two things that are missing from the story are a cool soundtrack and a Dennis Farina character punching someone's lights out.

The characters are pretty straightforward and you know what to expect from them since the beginning. The author uses flashbacks to give more light to the characters and add some touches of dark humor as well. The main character of Ronnie Deal is left more of a mystery. The author gives subtle hints as to Ronnie's life prior to moving to California, but not much else. It is not until everything hits the fan that the reader learns the truth about her past. There are numerous colorful characters that keep the story going, especially two brothers seeking vengeance against a pizza delivery man. It is a story that can only take place in Hollywood and only someone who has lived and worked there knows how to portray it. Man Eater is an entertaining read and highly recommended. One word of warning though, you might stay up all night reading the book. It is that kind of story, worth every minute and not one moment of boredom. Give it a shot, just please, do not do it literally.

Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, March 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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