Pigeon Tony's Last Stand - Lisa Scottoline - ★★★★

-
AUTHOR: Lisa Scottoline
SERIES: We Could be Heroes, #1
GENRE: Crime Drama
RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A standalone short story (more like a novella) featuring a pigeon-loving grandpa who finds a new agenda to become passionate about. Good plot, interesting characters, multiple emotions. Enjoyed it!


Plot Preview:
Pigeon Tony, a senior citizen of Italian origin, loves being with his Italian friends (some of whom are also Tonys with a different nickname) and flying his pet pigeons. His English might still not be so good, but he loves America as it has saved him from his own past. But now, Pigeon Tony finds that his young neighbour, a boy named Enzo, is being forced by drug dealers to act as their courier, he knows that he can’t allow crime to enter the community. But what can a senior citizen do?


This is the first standalone story in the 'We Could be Heroes’ series, described on Amazon as “a darkly inquisitive collection of short stories that examines heroic intentions versus their real-life consequences.”

This short story should actually be called a novella, because at 72 pages, it is much too long for short fiction. But I am glad the author took up the extra pages because it offers a depth to the proceedings not always possible in shorter tales.

There are quite a few characters in this story, but the writing makes all of them very clear in our heads. I loved the old men the best, especially eighty-something Mazzo who has to SPEAK LOUDLY SO THAT OTHERS CAN HEAR HIM and Pigeon Tony who cares much about his dear pigeons and also about his Italian food, even if his favourite dishes are not good for his heath. Young Enzo is also a sweet boy.

Seeing the old men come together to save Enzo is an entertaining experience. As the story says, “they work fuelled by fear, love and caffeine.” Their banter leads to some humorous conversations, but it also shows their strong bond and their commitment to justice.

While the plot resolution is a bit too simplistic, it still works for this tale. But this is a story to be picked up more for the characters than the plot. It seems some of these characters originally appeared in ‘The Vendetta Defense’, which is the sixth book of the Rosato & DiNunzio Series. (DiNunzio has a secondary role in this tale.) I haven't read any book in this series, but when I read the short story, I didn’t feel any gap in my comprehension. So it works perfectly well as a standalone.

Recommended to those looking for a heartwarming story with loveable senior characters and a strong flavour of Italy.

This standalone story is a part of the “We Could Be Heroes” collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.

Comments

Post a Comment

Explore more posts from this blog:

Violent Advents: A Christmas Horror Anthology - Edited by L. Stephenson - ★★★.¼

-
Image
  EDITOR: L. Stephenson GENRE: Christmas Horror Anthology PUBLICATION DATE:  December 12, 2024 RATING: 3.3 stars. In a Nutshell: A short-fiction anthology filled with Christmassy horror. Some really good stories here, though I wish there had been more variety in the “source of the evil.” A good option for those who are fed up of saccharine seasonal stories. This is the time of the year when readers are torn between spooky season and Christmas season. Here's a book that combines both. 😉 This indie anthology contains twenty-six stories by twenty-six writers. There’s no editor’s note, but the title and the tagline make the theme clear – it is a “Christmas horror” anthology. The stories are mostly fast-paced, which works well in this genre. After the first few stories, I wondered why a majority of them were using the Christmas tree as the horror device-of-choice. It occurred frequently enough for me to start eyeing every Christmas tree in the stories suspiciously. Only after...
Read More»

The Little Christmas Library - David M. Barnett - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: David M. Barnett GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 10, 2024 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A character-oriented contemporary fiction with a strong Christmas spirit and a dash of Christmas magic. Excellent characters and a well-connected narrative linking them all. True to contemporary times in every way. Might get a bit too sugary, but works well for the genre. A fabulous and heartwarming option for the festive season. Plot Preview: When Molly McGinley moves from London to her Northern hometown of Merry-le-Moors, she feels like an utter failure. Ten years in the big city, and all she has to show is a broken relationship and no job. Her widower dad Jack is more than happy to have his daughter home, especially as he is still missing his wife who passed away a decade back. Jack now whiles away his time driving the town’s mobile library and he insists that Molly accompany him on his rounds instead of moping alone at home. As the two take the library bus t...
Read More»

Somebody I Used to Know - Wendy Mitchell - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: Wendy Mitchell GENRE: Memoir PUBLICATION DATE: June 5, 2018 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: The memoir of a woman who unexpectedly became the face of young-onset Alzheimer’s in the UK. Ghost-written with the help of a journalist, this book covers her diagnosis, reaction, coping strategies, everyday experiences, and her plans for the future.. The writing is filled with pain and frustration as well as hope. Much recommended. Do note that it might be triggering for Alzheimer’s patients and also caregivers. A reading challenge I am participating in needed a book penned by a ghost-writer. I was very clear that I didn’t want to opt for any celebrity memoir, most of which are sanitised fake versions of their lives. Nor did I want to try fictional novels that straddled the line between pseudonymous and ghost-written. ( The Nancy Drew series, for instance. ) Google led me to Wendy Mitchell’s memoir. One look at this book’s blurb, and I knew I finally found the right option for the...
Read More»

Making Up the Gods - Marion Agnew - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: Marion Agnew GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 15, 2023 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An indie drama with some quirky characters and a great setting in Lake Superior, Canada. Mellow in tone, genuine in content, thought-provoking in themes. I enjoyed this unusual novel. Plot Preview: Simone, almost 70, is a retired widow who lives an isolated life in her cottage on the banks of Lake Superior and still misses her husband, though he’s been dead for five years. While she is now active in her local church and finds solace in baking for those grieving, she is fiercely protective of her privacy. But when the local reverend asks her to take care of nine-year-old Chen while his widowed mother goes on a much-needed trip, Simone finds it tough to refuse a fellow-mourning widow. Just before Chen arrives, a stranger named Martin knocks at Simone’s door, claiming to be her cousin. Simone is suddenly handling two strangers at once, and she worries that they will dis...
Read More»

The Night Counsellor - L.K. Pang - ★★★★

-
Image
AUTHOR: L.K. Pang GENRE: Historical Mystery PUBLICATION DATE: October 17, 2024 RATING: 4 stars In a Nutshell: A historical mystery with a mental asylum as the dominant setting. Intriguing characters, creepy vibes, good handling of the two timelines. A great option for readers who enjoy gritty historical narratives. Plot Preview: 1953. Jane Galloway, in a new role as a counsellor, has just been assigned a new patient at The Beaumont, a mental asylum trying to shed its dark tag but not doing a great job of it. This patient, dubbed Patient A, was found wandering naked and covered in blood on the outskirts of Yorkshire. She doesn’t talk or respond in any way to anyone. The mystery gets even darker when Jane learns that this patient is a murder suspect. The hospital staff is firmly opposed to this new method of using conversations as therapy, but Jane is determined to make a difference. Can she help Patient A before it is too late? Is Patient A really guilty of such a heinous crime? The...
Read More»