Book Review- Fail by Author Rick Skwiot

Fail Author: Rick Skwiot ISBN:978-0-985808686 blank skate press 2014 My Review: It takes a really good story, characters that I immediately care about, and a reason to keep turning the page for me to read and review a book but  Fail fits the bill. The first page grabs the reader and pulls you into a tangled troubled world with real characters with real flaws. Fail is not only a great read but an excellent example for writers attempting to write engaging complex stories that keep readers wanting more. Kudos to Rick Skwiot for being a fine author and excellent example of what a good story is.  Synopsis: Disgraced African American St. Louis Police Lieutenant Carlo Gabriel wants fiercely to return to the headquarters hierarchy from which he has been exiled to the city’s tough North Side. All he needs do is track down the missing husband of the mayor’s vivacious press secretary. Instead he unwittingly and unwillingly unearths a morass of corruption, educational malpractice and greed that consigns thousands of at-risk youths to the mean streets of America’s erstwhile murder capital. Worse, it’s the kind of information that could get a cop killed. Fighting for life and his honor, Gabriel makes chilling discoveries that ultimately lead to a life-threatening and life-changing decision—a choice that could affect not only his own future but also that of the city and its top leaders.

Author Bio: Former journalist Rick Skwiot is the author of three previous novels—the Hemingway First Novel Award winner Death in Mexico, the Willa Cather Fiction Prize finalist Sleeping With Pancho Villa, and Key West Story—as well as two memoirs: the critically-acclaimed Christmas at Long Lake: A Childhood Memory and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico: Memoir of a Sensual Quest for Spiritual Healing. He also works as a feature writer, book doctor and editor. From St. Louis, he currently resides in Key West.