Nick Bones Underground - by Phil M Cohen (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Shmulie Shimmer promised he'd call his father, Abe, but he never did. And Shmulie never broke a promise to his father. Professor Nick Friedman takes a wild ride through a dystopic and dangerous New York City searching for his old high school buddy Shmulie Shimmer. Shmulie is the inventor of Lerbs, the most popular designer drug ever. Friedman and his wisecracking AI computer, Maggie, encounter a world of odd and sometimes deadly characters above and below ground. Told with sardonic humor, Nick Bones Underground offers an imaginative world and asks thought provoking questions: Is it possible to overcome the burden of past deeds? What is the nature of being human? Can an AI computer change gender and convert to Judaism? How did Nick Friedman become Nick Bones? Who is Robbie the Rabbi? Is it possible to get a good cup of coffee at the Outtaluck Cafâe?"--

Book Synopsis

"...rollicking rabbinic roller coaster ride through a dystopian futuristic world."

--Eli Hirsch, Radical Skepticism and the Shadow of Doubt: A Philosophical Dialogue (Bloomsbury)

Shmulie Shimmer promised he'd call his father, Abe, but he never did. And Shmulie never broke a promise to his father.

Professor Nick Friedman takes a wild ride through a dystopic and dangerous New York City searching for his old high school buddy Shmulie Shimmer. Shmulie is the inventor of Lerbs, the most popular designer drug ever. Friedman and his wisecracking AI computer, Maggie, encounter a world of odd and sometimes deadly characters above and below ground.

Told with sardonic humor, Nick Bones Underground offers an imaginative world and asks thought provoking questions: Is it possible to overcome the burden of past deeds? What is the nature of being human? Can an AI computer change gender and convert to Judaism? How did Nick Friedman become Nick Bones? Who is Robbie the Rabbi? Is it possible to get a good cup of coffee at the Outtaluck Café?

Review Quotes

"...rollicking rabbinic roller coaster ride through a dystopian futuristic world."

Eli Hirsch, Radical Skepticism and the Shadow of Doubt: A Philosophical Dialogue (Bloomsbury)

"Come for the AI, stay for the mystery."

Aaron Frale, Time Burrito

"...sex, drugs, and even cameos from a rock 'n' roll legend. So, what's not to love?"

Howard Lovy, Alliance for Independent Authors

"Phil M. Cohen has delivered a crackling, genre-bending story that has both head and heart. With an angsty sometime college professor-turned private eye at its center, Cohen's novel serves up an assortment of snappy characters that, for all their fast-talking bravado, are all just trying to get by in a ruined world. Smart, sharp, and adeptly hardboiled, Nick Bones Underground is a terrific tribute to its gimlet-eyed predecessors and a wonderfully lively read in its own right."

Joan Leegant, Wherever You Go: a novel

"In Nick Bones Underground, Phil M. Cohen gives us an engaging detective story with an entertaining cast of characters in need of redemption whether they realize it or not. As religion-professor-turned-detective, Nick and his sidekick computer, Maggie, take on a mystery tied all too uncomfortably to Nick's past. They take us on a wild ride through a version of New York City that has seen better days, populated by citizens looking in all the wrong places for meaning, love, and leadership. Plentiful side helpings of humor, philosophy, religious fraud, and ethical quandaries add to the tale, making for an absorbing, memorable read."

Katy Yokum, author Three Ways to Disappear