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" … this ensemble of grotesques stumbles through skid-row L.A. like a Robert Altman film scripted by Charles Bukowski and William S. Burroughs … the characters are unforgettable; they live and breathe, and you sure as hell wouldn't want them to breathe on you. Sick City is appealing in its unsentimentalism, disgusting in its details—and almost unbelievably funny."
Booklist
"O'Neill (Down and Out on Murder Mile) delivers a Hollywood thriller that's
equal parts acerbic social commentary à la Burroughs's Naked Lunch and
extraordinary crime fiction misadventure... Fans of Chuck Palahniuk and Warren Ellis will
cherish this twisted tale and its repellent and disturbing imagery."
- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The author once again plumbs the depths of his dope days with this
inspired comedy of errors. A bigger cast this time lends his acid humor more
room to grow, as he brings a motley crew of addicts, charlatans, TV whores and
desperate johns together in a send-up of Hollywood capers... Two disgraced junkies start planning their retirement
score—the unloading of a long-forgotten sex tape featuring Sharon Tate,
Steve McQueen, Mama Cass and others in full legendary bacchanalia. Chaos
ensues, infused with enough humor black to make Bill Burroughs choke on his
apple... a post-punk crack at Hollywood's legacy that's funnier than it's predecessor, and just as cringe-inducing."
- Kirkus
"Sick
City is a disturbingly twisted ride through Hollywood's underbelly with a
degenerate cast of colorfully interwoven characters. I loved the whole fucked
up journey."
Slash, rock'n'roll legend
"Sick
City is fun, twisted and brutal. One of the best books written about LA in a
long time. O'Neill could be our
generation's Jim Thompson."
James Frey - author of A Million Little Pieces, Bright Shiny Morning
"Tony O'Neill works his L.A. people the way Dutch Leonard had his hand
down the pants of every degenerate in his great Detroit novels. Cover
your ears, ladies; thanks to O'Neill, the cries of pain can be heard
from one sick city to another. Just use your eyes."
Barry Gifford - author and screenwriter, Wild at Heart, Lost Highway, Sailor and Lula: The Complete Novels
"Addictive Noir! Rarely do you find a
novel that is both fast paced and well observed, action packed, yet
high-grade poetic. Once you start it, just try putting it down." Arthur Nersesian, author of The Fuck Up, The Swing Voter of Staten Island
Jeffrey has nowhere to go when his sugar-daddy boyfriend, Bill,
croaks. But
before Jeffrey sets off into the glare of LA, he grabs a few parting
mementos: two grand in cash; a handgun; Bill's police badge; a wild
assortment of drugs; and a film canister that contains a treasure
greater
than all the rest combined: a reel featuring Steve McQueen, Mama
Cass, Yul
Brynner, and Sharon Tate in a never-before-seen, drug-fueled orgy.
Randal is the fallen scion of a great Hollywood family. His drug
addiction
and his rehab bills have been long overlooked by his indulgent
father;
however, with him now dead and gone, Randal's left to the zealous
sanctimony
of his younger brother who has admitted him to Clean and Serene, a
celebrity
treatment center run by TV personality Dr. Mike; which is where
Randal meets
Jeffrey.
Together, the new friends scramble to unload the sex tape before
their
pasts, and a killer, catch up with them. Populated by the
unmistakable
denizens of LA, Sick City rollicks in the absurdities of celebrity
culture,
entertains from first to last, and reads as if Elmore Leonard
co-opted the métier of Irvine Welsh.
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