When his sleazy and long-estranged brother dies in a hot
tub, regular-guy Marcus Ripp unexpectedly inherits his
brother's dry cleaning business. Since he's recently lost
his job when the company he worked for relocated to China,
and his wife's boutique isn't making a dime, and his son
wants a respectable bar mitzvah, and his mother-in-law (who
lives with them) is having health issues, and he's deep in
debt, Marcus views this inheritance as a god-send. How hard
can it be to run a dry-cleaning business?
Well, it's more than Marcus could have ever imagined when
it turns out the business is actually a front for a very
lucrative "escort" service. As the cash starts rolling in,
Marcus vows he will only keep the business for two years.
That should be enough time to get out of debt and establish
a nice nest egg for the future. But much to his surprise,
Marcus has a talent for the business. He soon becomes known
by the moniker "Breeze" and starts running the service like
a real business with health coverage and retirement plans
for the girls. When his wife finally figures out what's
going on, she becomes involved in the business, as well.
But Marcus' success doesn't sit well with a rival. Soon
he's up to his armpits in mean bodyguards, adversarial
pimps, big guns and a dead body. Whoa! This isn't what he
bargained for going into this venture. Why can't everybody
just get along?
This is a witty and bitingly satirical look at the sordid
California lifestyle and what happens when it comes in
conflict with the ideals of an ordinary, working-class
family. The first part of the book is a trifle slow to get
started, but once it takes off, the action and adventure is
nonstop and hilarious. And the ending is a pure delight.
A witty and sexy satire about how contemporary American
culture defines right and wrong, good and bad, from the
acclaimed author of THE BONES.
When good guy Marcus Ripps takes over his black sheep
brother's lucrative dry cleaning business, he has no idea
what he's in for. Before long, he is running one of the
most popular escort services in West Hollywood. As the
money starts pouring in, he revitalizes his marriage, buys
a new Mercedes, and gives his son a bar mitzvah he'll never
forget. But, when his conscience — and the law — starts to
catch up with him, Marcus must decide if his sudden
financial windfall is worth all the risk.
A wild, clever, consistently hysterical romp, SHINING CITY
is an L.A. adventure that will keep you guessing to the
very end.
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