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About
Nick Pafko knows he can't be a professional boxer forever. But he never guessed it would end so quickly, and so wrong. Broke and unemployed, Nick has little choice but to call a number given to him by a friend. On the other end? Scott, a washed-up B-movie actor who runs a so-called massage parlor looking for somebody desperate enough to work security.
Jenny Yee doesn't really mind massage, until the day she finds her coworkers robbed and assaulted. Fearing for her safety, she resolves to never work without security again. With mounting expenses, she knows massage is the fastest way to get paid. When an old massage acquaintance calls Jenny to ask her to work for Scott, she agrees-and before long, she's the top earner.
Scott is an arrogant moron, but he's harmless compared to the thug he calls "friend"-Onus Dupree. When DuPree decides to rob Scott's massage joint, it's the perfect opportunity to beat up Nick and take advantage of Jenny. Can Nick stay true to his promise to protect Jenny? Can he protect himself?
Jenny Yee doesn't really mind massage, until the day she finds her coworkers robbed and assaulted. Fearing for her safety, she resolves to never work without security again. With mounting expenses, she knows massage is the fastest way to get paid. When an old massage acquaintance calls Jenny to ask her to work for Scott, she agrees-and before long, she's the top earner.
Scott is an arrogant moron, but he's harmless compared to the thug he calls "friend"-Onus Dupree. When DuPree decides to rob Scott's massage joint, it's the perfect opportunity to beat up Nick and take advantage of Jenny. Can Nick stay true to his promise to protect Jenny? Can he protect himself?
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Reviews
"A Better Goodbye ... [John Schulian's] noirish first novel, is thick with classic lowlifes, including down-on-his-luck boxer Nick Pafko, who has never recovered from killing an opponent in the ring; Schulian's ... stylish writing brings a fresh dimension to the genre."
The Chicago Tribune
"This visceral, gritty noir takes place on the seedy fringes of modern Hollywood. The dialogue is razor sharp, and the characters well developed - the good-hearted Nick is easy to root for. A robbery triggers a grisly showdown as this thriller hurtles toward its nail-biting conclusion."
Publishers Weekly
"Schulian is a former Chicago sports journalist who relocated to L.A....and his first novel tells the tales of a boxer haunted by the man he killed in the ring.... As a low-key look at L.A. lowlife, this has its strong passages."
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