Book 2 of the Frankie Fiore series. Frankie resumes life after prison, unaware of the good and evil forces working diametrically behind the scenes to make him rich or kill him,or both!
Frankie Fiore does eighteen months at Rikers Island where he meets and makes a life-long friend of fellow inmate, Reno, a giant of a man who is respected and feared by the inmate population in the prison. Reno takes Frankie as a close friend thus making his life at Rikers, bearable.
Resuming his life after prison, Frankie returns to Dunnville, North Carolina,
He is unaware of the good and evil forces working diametrically behind the scenes. The good seeking to enrich him, the evil seeking to kill him. He doesn't know it yet, but shortly he will either be rich or he will be dead --- or both.
Frankie is bequeathed a small fortune by his friend and mentor, Biff Rollo, who is mortally ill in prison. However, the gift comes with the proviso that Frankie care for Biff's son, Marcus until he is of legal age. Unfortunately for Frankie, Biff dies before he can tell Frankie where to find the riches or how he acquired this small treasure. This information is very important to Frankie's girl-fiend, Peggy and to his mother, Connie. They both need to be assured it is not blood money before they will give their approval he accept it. Frankie, now armed with only a safe deposit key, must find the stash on his own,
His former boss and now his nemesis, Jimmy “the nose” Provitera is released from prison while awaiting a new trial. Jimmy, who was sent to prison based on Frankie's testimony in court, vows to kill Frankie and take Biff's fortune for himself. Frankie has also made a vow---a vow to avenge the horrific beating Jimmy's goons inflicted on his father, Louie, when Jimmy was unable to find Frankie to punish him for a perceived wrong-doing and took it out on his father instead.
In conversation with Marcus, Biff's son, Frankie discovers that Biff owned a house on Staten Island. With Marcus' help they find the house, where they discover evidence that Biff owned a safe deposit box in a nearby Staten Island bank.
Employing the services of a professional forger, they forge Biff's signature at the bank and retrieve the box. Upon opening the box they discover...???
You'll have to read the book to discover what they found and also to find out which real-life celebrity was involved in the discovery.
Professional Reviews
Online Book Club
Official Review: By Hook or BY Crook by Al Marsiglia
Post Number:#1 by Sarah_Khan » 29 Oct 2016, 15:20
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "By Hook or BY Crook" by Al Marsiglia.]
By Hook or by Crook by Al Marsiglia is a thrilling, action-packed, mafia crime novel. It is the second book in the Frankie Fiore series. The plot picks up where the previous book left off, with Frankie Fiore out of prison after snitching on his former mafia boss Jimmy Provitera.
Now out of jail, Frankie is given a great responsibility by his deceased friend Biff Rollo to carry out his last wishes. He is gifted a portion of his saved money and is told to find Biff's son who does not even know his father. What seems like a pretty easy task turns out to be a lot more complicated than expected, because Frankie is not the only one looking for Biff Rollo's money and Jimmy, now out on bail, is out for his blood.
The first thing I have to say is that I must commend the author on adding a detailed summary of the previous novel's plot right at the beginning of this book. Since I did not read the first novel before reading this one, it was very helpful and I wish more authors would follow suit.
Now on to the plot. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it was anything but boring. From start to finish, this novel held my attention. It has a great mix of everything, there was action, suspense, surprises, romance, and even some comedy. The main character, Frankie Fiore has a certain type of charisma that makes you think he can get away with anything. Despite his vulgar language, his criminal record, and his other faults, you get a sense that he is trying to become a better person, therefore I could not help liking him. Some of my favorite parts of the book were when you could feel the sense of family surrounding the characters even though many of them were mobsters. By the end of this novel, I even felt like I was a part of this mafia family. The Italian food, the unquestioned loyalty between members of the mob, and the parts of the plot set in New York made me recall The Godfather.
The only thing that bugged me about this novel is that at times I felt like the pace of the story was a little too fast. It seemed as if the story was jumping from important event to important event.
To sum things up, By Hook or by Crook by Al Marsiglia is a great novel for long time fans of Italian mafia crime novels, but it is also a great book to pick up for people new to this type of story, to introduce them to this genre. Just as a heads-up, as you would expect, there is an ample amount of foul language in this novel so it might not be for everyone.
*****By Hook or BY Crook
Reviewed by Sarah khan for The Online Book Club.org
ReviewEdit
RED CITY REVIEW March 2017 ****
By Hook or By Crook, a novel by Al Marsiglia, begins with a bang. Frankie Fiore, an ex-convict who served his time at the notorious prison on Rikers Island, wakes up to a phone call in the middle of the night that the narrator likens to a grenade being tossed through a window. The call he receives, unbeknownst to him at the time, will forever impact his future. His mentor and a current inmate at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, Biff, also known as Aloyisius Rollo, reaches out in the hopes that Frankie will grant him a dying wish of sorts. As it turns out, Biff's dying wish is for Frankie to look after his son, Marcus, who is seventeen and already ostensibly prone to trouble. The way that Biff "sweetens the pot," as it were, is by promising Frankie a large cut of a million-dollar stash. Behind the scenes, an old foe of Frankie's plots his demise and begins scheming ways to steal that newfound inheritance out from under his nose. Aptly named Jimmy "The Nose" Provitera, this local mob boss has it out for Frankie in the worst way for helping to land him in prison. As soon as he's released from prison, he plans to murder Frankie and abscond with the fortune. Matters are further complicated when Biff dies before revealing to Frankie the exact location of the treasure. Armed with only a rusty key to a safe deposit box and with the help of Marcus, Frankie discovers the location of the old safe deposit box, but what's inside is certainly not quite what he was expecting.
The suspense in By Hook or By Crook really matches up with the fervor of the title. No matter the obstacles in Frankie Fiore's way, he manages to make it ahead, by hook or by crook, and, of course, he's a former crook, so that pun rings even truer. The light and jovial manner in which the novel is written also lends itself well to the playful humor of the title: the way both the dialogue and the narrative are written makes the thick and endearing New York accents almost jump off of the pages. Every page presents a new and colorful way of looking at the intensely thrilling world that Frankie is the center of, and each character comes to life in a very real fashion throughout the story. Together, Frankie and Reno make for an extremely odd couple, but their relationship is so wonderfully captured that it's possible to see them vividly together. Jimmy Provitera also bursts into life in a dichotomously contrasting way, as he serves as the direct foil to Frankie Fiore. By the end of the novel, it becomes apparent that the novel centers on the opposing forces of good and evil. Will evil prevail in the end? Will good finally balance the universe out and leave Frankie with an enormous fortune? It's definitely worth the read to find out how the chips lie at the end of By Hook or By Crook.
Red City Review
By Hook or By Crook, a novel by Al Marsiglia, begins with a bang. Frankie Fiore, an ex-convict who served his time at the notorious prison on Rikers Island, wakes up to a phone call in the middle of the night that the narrator likens to a grenade being tossed through a window. The call he receives, unbeknownst to him at the time, will forever impact his future. His mentor and a current inmate at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, Biff, also known as Aloyisius Rollo, reaches out in the hopes that Frankie will grant him a dying wish of sorts. As it turns out, Biff's dying wish is for Frankie to look after his son, Marcus, who is seventeen and already ostensibly prone to trouble. The way that Biff "sweetens the pot," as it were, is by promising Frankie a large cut of a million-dollar stash. Behind the scenes, an old foe of Frankie's plots his demise and begins scheming ways to steal that newfound inheritance out from under his nose. Aptly named Jimmy "The Nose" Provitera, this local mob boss has it out for Frankie in the worst way for helping to land him in prison. As soon as he's released from prison, he plans to murder Frankie and abscond with the fortune. Matters are further complicated when Biff dies before revealing to Frankie the exact location of the treasure. Armed with only a rusty key to a safe deposit box and with the help of Marcus, Frankie discovers the location of the old safe deposit box, but what's inside is certainly not quite what he was expecting.
The suspense in By Hook or By Crook really matches up with the fervor of the title. No matter the obstacles in Frankie Fiore's way, he manages to make it ahead, by hook or by crook, and, of course, he's a former crook, so that pun rings even truer. The light and jovial manner in which the novel is written also lends itself well to the playful humor of the title: the way both the dialogue and the narrative are written makes the thick and endearing New York accents almost jump off of the pages. Every page presents a new and colorful way of looking at the intensely thrilling world that Frankie is the center of, and each character comes to life in a very real fashion throughout the story. Together, Frankie and Reno make for an extremely odd couple, but their relationship is so wonderfully captured that it's possible to see them vividly together. Jimmy Provitera also bursts into life in a dichotomously contrasting way, as he serves as the direct foil to Frankie Fiore. By the end of the novel, it becomes apparent that the novel centers on the opposing forces of good and evil. Will evil prevail in the end? Will good finally balance the universe out and leave Frankie with an enormous fortune? It's definitely worth the read to find out how the chips lie at the end of By Hook or By Crook.
To purchase a copy of the book, click here to find it on Amazon.
Tome Tender
Are you a fan of gangster/mob type reads? Ever watch the movies about mobsters, mafia, and legendary leaders like Al Capone? They're dark, deadly and everyone talks funny, has a weird nickname and is part of the dark brotherhood of bullying, trafficking, theft and bad ties.Now that I've set that stage, forget it all, because Frankie Fiore is a guy born under a very lucky star or has a very exhausted guardian gangster, I mean angel. Frankie is a rat and now he has to pay.
After a stint at Riker's Frankie heads home, only to discover that someone thinks he knows where a huge stash of stolen money is and that someone wants a piece of Frankie. Meanwhile, Frankie is left a huge sum from his mentor, Biff Rollo, the catch, you say, Frankie must take care of Biff's estranged son, oh, and Frankie has no idea where the money is. The questions become, where is it, who has it and how does he get it and still live to spend it?
See gangsters, mobsters from a new light, as Frankie Fiore and his new posse go on the hunt for Rollo's stash, and hit upon the brilliant idea to upstage Geraldo (yep, THAT Geraldo) who is planning the great reveal of a gangster's secret safe. You've heard it said that some people can step in, um manure and come up with a pot of gold, right? Or, maybe it isn't what you know, but who you know, for a low guy on the totem pole, Frankie seems to be the guy those statements refer to, at least for now...
Al Marsiglia had to have had a lot of fun creating Frankie, his buddies and his world, because he sure gave me some entertainment with his tale, By Hook or By Crook! I chuckled a laughed out loud and I definitely team Frankie, the ultimate anti-hero looking for a quick buck while honoring the death of a man who was so much more than a hired gun. Everybody has an angle, right? Follow along as Frankie and the gang fall into more manure and come up smelling like roses more times than you can imagine! Great reading, great dialogue and I even learned that the plural of YOU really must be YOUSE!
Thrilling, nail-biting suspense as Frankie Fiore searches for a fortune and encounters the threats of former foes. Resuming his life after prison, Frankie Fiore is unaware of the good and evil forces working diametrically behind the scenes. The good, seeking to enrich him. The evil, plotting to kill him. He doesn't know it yet, but shortly he will either be rich or he will be dead --- or both. After Contract Pending the novel, the story continues... Subsequent to completing his time at Riker's, Frankie Fiore has been bequeathed a small fortune by his friend and mentor, Biff Rollo who is mortally sick in prison. His gift comes with the proviso that Frankie care for Biff's son, Marcus until he is of legal age. It develops that Biff dies before he can tell Frankie where to find the riches, or how he acquired this small treasure. Frankie, armed with only a safe deposit key, must find the stash on his own. His former boss and now his nemesis, Jimmy Provitera is released from prison while awaiting a new trial. He vows to kill Frankie and take Biff's fortune for himself. Frankie is never to know that Biff liberated the treasure from under the very nose of a well known real-life celebrity in 1986. He will never know who that celebrity is, but you will, in, By Hook or By Crook. Don't give away the ending!
From the AuthorAdd
Another wonderful story by Al Marsiglia about a great character, Frankie Fiore. Frankie is a good bad guy! Having served 18 months at Riker's Island for turning states evidence or, in other words, being a snitch in the mob world. Frankie wants to break from the "mobster life" and begin a new life with his fiancee, Peggy, and Peggy's daughter, Jana. 'By Hook or by Crook' tells the tale with very colorful language and I don't mean curse words, although there is some of that. I mean realistic, colorful mobster dialogue! Very entertaining...
The story line takes several twists and turns from the very beginning...one of those "you can't put it down" books. There is crime, murder, mayhem, revenge, family values, love and romance! Everything you need for an excellent mystery/suspense novel.
Including the 'Backstory' about 'Contract Pending' section at the beginning of 'By Hook or by Crook' was a very nice touch. Reading the two books in sequence is a lot of fun, but either title is a good stand alone novel also. I'm hoping Al Marsiglia is going to continue the Frankie Fiore series...
Check it out. It's a great read! I highly recommend 'By Hook or by Crook.'
Black Leather and Blue Denim, A '50s Novel is adult literature for anyone who likes 1950s' teen culture. BL&BD has been given a 5 Star Rating by ebookpalace.com and by Midwest Review
I have taken pride in writing this novel as so many people have the wrong impression on bikers because they dress in leather clothing which is to protect themselves in case of an accident. The majority of bikers are known Policemen, Firemen, Doctors,
In the gripping finale of the BetterWorld cyberpunk series, Waylee, Kiyoko, and their friends attempt to bring down an all-powerful corporation and a corrupt government--all while eluding the biggest manhunt in history.
