Lights Out -- Jason Starr

In Jason Starr's novels, bad things happen to bad people. There are no admirable characters in Lights Out. Some are just worse than others. It's the story of two guys from Brooklyn, Jake and Ryan, who were high school baseball stars on the fast track to the majors. Jake makes it big, but Ryan, a pitcher, blows out his arm, has unsuccessful Tommy John surgery, and winds up painting houses for ten bucks an hour. He also falls in love with Jake's fiance, and when Jake comes home for a visit, things start to go downhill quickly.

There's another story, too, about an ex-con and former drug dealer who'd really like to go straight but who's finding it hard to do so. I'll leave it up to you to find out how the two stories get entangled and to discover who does what to whom, because that's part of the fun after all.

And speaking of fun, besides being a walk on the dark side, this book is often hilariously funny. You might not be expecting to get a bundle of laughs from a noir novel, but they're sure there. This is my new favorite among Jason Starr's novels. Check it out.