Dog Beach - by John Fusco (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A darkly funny, "action-packed" (Publishers Weekly) crime thriller from John Fusco, creator of the Netflix original series Marco Polo, Dog Beach follows Louie Mo--once Hong Kong's greatest stuntman--now surviving in Los Angeles as a hired knee-breaker for ruthless investors until his latest target unexpectedly casts him in the role of a lifetime.

Leaving behind a successful career as a stunt double in Hong Kong to escape entanglements with the Chinese mafia, Louie Mo now makes his living in Los Angeles as a hired knee-breaker, putting fear into the hearts of people reneging on payments to investors.

Troy, an aspiring director with NYU credentials and encyclopedic movie knowledge, is beginning to realize that he's made a deal with the devil by agreeing to direct a film for producer Avi Ghazaryan. When Avi's sketchy investors hire Louie to scare Troy into finishing their movie, Troy's reverence for film and keen eye save him from a beating when he recognizes Louie Mo as the stunt man extraordinaire he once was--and begs Louie to take the lead role in the movie based on Troy's own pet screenplay.

For Louie Mo, this chance at redemption might be his last. As his past catches up with him and his body becomes ever more broken down, he teams up with Troy in a race against the clock--and the bad guys--to pull off an impossible film of epic proportions. Dog Beach is a fast-paced, smart, and hilarious thrill ride--equal parts dark satire and high-velocity action novel--a "poisonously funny Hollywood noir nightmare" (Warren Ellis, author of Red and Gun Machine) perfect for fans of Elmore Leonard and Don Winslow.

Review Quotes

"Dog Beach takes no prisoners." --Burlington Free Press

"Both Louie and the novel are wise and gently humorous, tougher than they seem, and casual about their mastery of craft. What follows is a fine romp, with sex, drugs, murder, and car chases, but savvy readers will notice the underlying seriousness. And the insider stunt lore is priceless."--Booklist

"Fusco channels Elmore Leonard and Quentin Tarantino in this vivid, action-packed tale of Asian gangsters and Hollywood moviemaking."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Fusco provides some inside-Hollywood insight, similar to the way cable shows like "Entourage" and "Ray Donovan" take viewers beyond the sets and glamour shoots. But those shows mostly concentrate on the stars, whereas Dog Beach takes readers to the fringe-- to the pressures of low-budget filmmaking and the pains of high-pressure action shoots."--Omaha World-Herald

"I was always a big fan of Elmore Leonard, and now I'm a big fan of John Fusco. Dog Beach is a gem: A Hollywood novel by a guy who knows Hollywood. In this wonderful world of stuntmen and screenwriters, rising stars and falling producers, everyone is a step away from a blockbuster-if they can just stay alive to the final reel. Fast and funny and filled with surprises."--Chris Bohjalian

"This is a poisonously funny Hollywood noir nightmare, smart and savage. I loved it."--Warren Ellis, author of Red and Gun Machine