Published: Sep. 24, 2011
Words: 94677 (approximate)
Language: English

Ebook short description

For Jimmy Pecatti, joining the mob doesn’t seem so bad. The street tax on his old man’s business drops to zero, he pulls down more cash in a week than he used to see in half a year--and, if he’s gonna learn to channel his innate talent for magic, the underworld is the only place to do it. It seems like everything he could ask for. But Jimmy has no idea what he's about to get into...

Extended description

For Jimmy Pecatti, joining the mob doesn’t seem so bad. The street tax on his old man’s business drops to zero, he pulls down more cash in a week than he used to see in half a year--and, if he’s gonna learn to channel his innate talent for magic, the underworld is the only place to do it. It seems like everything he could ask for.

Trouble is, Jimmy doesn’t know what he’s getting into. The Mafia isn’t such a big deal in Boston these days, and the Russian mob is gearing up to exterminate them. Worse, the Russians have hired a notoriously out-of-control wizard named Kelsen who is conjuring up unkillable demons and leaving wiseguys in pieces all over town. As the Mafia’s hot new talent and the only one with enough mojo to stop Kelsen, Jimmy might as well be wearing crosshairs.

When the violence escalates into all-out war, Jimmy pulls every trick he can think of to stay alive, protect his family, and keep ahead of the Russian gangsters. Luck and smarts won’t get Ji... (Read more) For Jimmy Pecatti, joining the mob doesn’t seem so bad. The street tax on his old man’s business drops to zero, he pulls down more cash in a week than he used to see in half a year--and, if he’s gonna learn to channel his innate talent for magic, the underworld is the only place to do it. It seems like everything he could ask for.

Trouble is, Jimmy doesn’t know what he’s getting into. The Mafia isn’t such a big deal in Boston these days, and the Russian mob is gearing up to exterminate them. Worse, the Russians have hired a notoriously out-of-control wizard named Kelsen who is conjuring up unkillable demons and leaving wiseguys in pieces all over town. As the Mafia’s hot new talent and the only one with enough mojo to stop Kelsen, Jimmy might as well be wearing crosshairs.

When the violence escalates into all-out war, Jimmy pulls every trick he can think of to stay alive, protect his family, and keep ahead of the Russian gangsters. Luck and smarts won’t get Jimmy through this--it’s going to take magic. But magic is a dirty back room deal with the universe, and demons mediate the deals, sinking their hooks into Jimmy’s soul a little more with every spell he works.

Jimmy just might be able to protect his folks, take Kelsen out, and bring the war to an end--but he’ll have to take a flamethrower to his own soul to do it.
(Less)

Adult-content rating:

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Tags

urban fantasy, dark fantasy, demons, organized crime, the mafia

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Reviews

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Review by: mirrani on Feb. 10, 2012 :
When you mix magic and the mob you get The Price, a creative story about growing up under the influence of gangs in South Boston. The main character learns the hard way that magic isn't what you'd expect it to be and that there's a price for murmuring those words, casting out your requests to the spirits who are doing the deeds as you have suggested.

A mixture of gangs and monsters isn't as bizarre as it sounds though, the characters were well written and the haunts of the main character alone are written so thoroughly that you can almost feel them yourself. Being gang related, there is violence and so the magic certainly isn't used for good, but it isn't all guns and spells. There are touching moments of trying to reach out to lost family mixed in with moments of pure comedy that appear as incredibly witty one-liners throughout the story. There were places where I let my mind wander a bit, but my interest was mostly in the unusual combination of the two worlds, which blended perfectly with each other.

Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Alex Draven on Jan. 26, 2012 :
Really enjoyable noir urban fantasy, which doesn't flinch from confronting the brutal things people do, with and without demonic assistance. The humour, character focus, and the very likeable first person voice kept me turning the pages, keen to know how things were going to work out for Jimmy.

My one criticism is that it seemed a bit afloat in time - the noir style pulling it back in time, the modern details trying to keep it present day.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Alex Draven on Jan. 26, 2012 :
Really enjoyable noir urban fantasy, which doesn't flinch from confronting the brutal things people do, with and without demonic assistance.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: William Sain on Jan. 20, 2012 :
As a devout Catholic reader of such dark fiction, I should be absolutely horrified by this novel. But I'm not. My favorite author, Michael D. O'Brien, whose novels always have an invisible character, namely, the hand of God, believes the Harry Potter series to be of demonic origin (more or less), would despise this book, which in many ways is like Harry Potter meets The Departed. But I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story is delightfully demonic, and I mean that in the most positive way. Joseph Garraty takes the concept of magic and applies it to the modern world of organized crime. The elements of magic in The Price are everything that priests, popes, and evangelists have always feared: an activity inherently performed by demons that is fundamentally opposed to God.

The protagonist of the story begins a life of magic benevolently enough: as a child, not aware of his activities. As he grows older, his ability fades until he is approached by a man who teaches him to cultivate his abilities. He takes part in the underworld as a means to protect his family from Russian gangsters, but it ends in an all-out war. There is a cost to doing magic, however, and this is what eventually leads the character to almost go insane. The cost is a deeply metaphysical one that ultimately threatens the wizard's very soul.

Garraty's writing and storytelling are superb. I did not want to set my Kindle down once I started reading. Unlike treatments of magic in other stories, Garraty presents it in the worst-case scenario that has been most feared: as a deal with the devil. Although the protagonist begins with good intentions, the evil wears at him and peaks when he enters a church during Mass and uses his magic to set aflame a crucifix.

He even incorporates another feared aspect: the sexual. During the witch-craze in Europe and America, it was believed that witches and wizards would engage in sexual activity with beasts, usually goats, and possibly Satan himself who would appear in the form of a goat. There is no bestiality in The Price, but in the midst of animal sacrifice and the summoning of demons from the deepest circles of hell, there is sexual arousal and enjoyment.

Why do I think all of this is a good thing, at least as far as a story goes? Because Garraty takes a most unreal topic and creates a story that is very real, and, in some sense, rooted in reality.

My only complaint is that I could not believe the setting. If the writer did not tell us that the story is set in Boston, there is no way I would have known that fact. There are no clear geographic references, and one glaring error: multiple times he references the "small cathedral" in Boston. But the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Cross is quite large. Furthermore, most of the language is too polished. A little bit of work could have made it sound more authentic. These criticisms are minor, though, and did not diminish the quality of an otherwise great book.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: trish earl on Jan. 19, 2012 :
Great mob book. Adventurous and exciting, you will read late into the night.
(reviewed long after purchase)

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