"A wonderful accomplishment. . . . The power is in the writing. Mr. Meno
is a superb craftsman."--Hubert Selby Jr.
"The author moves the story along at a surprisingly fast and easy pace.
The evil eyes of small-town America seem to peer from every page of
Meno's claustrophobic noir, where the good and the bad are forced down
the same violent paths."--Kirkus Reviews
"Joe Meno writes with the energy, honesty, and emotional impact of the
best punk rock."--Jim DeRogatis, pop music critic, Chicago Sun-Times
"A likable winner that should bolster Meno's reputation." --Publishers
Weekly
"Joe Meno writes with the energy, honesty, and emotional impact of the
best punk rock." --Jim DeRogatis, Chicago Sun-Times
"Fans of hard-boiled pulp fiction will particularly enjoy this novel."
--Booklist
A young ex-con in a small Illinois town. A lonely giant with a
haunted past. A beautiful girl with a troubled heart. Strange and darkly
magical, How the Hula Girl Sings begins exactly where most pulp
fiction usually ends, with the vivid episode of the terrible crime
itself. Three years later, Luce Lemay, out on parole for the awful
tragedy, does his best to finds hope: in a new job at the local
Gas-N-Go; in his companion and fellow ex-con, Junior Breen, who spells
out puzzling messages to the unquiet ghosts of his past; and finally, in
the arms of the lovely but reckless Charlene. How the Hula Girl Sings
is a suspenseful exploration of a country bright with the far-off stars
of forgiveness and dark with the still-looming shadow of the death
penalty.
