Death or Quarter is the story of an incarcerated bare-knuckle champion that’s as much about fighting as the Odyssey is about sailing. Growing up in the streets of South Boston, Paulie Gaeta has done it all–numbers running, loan sharking, narcotics trafficking–but it all comes crashing down in prison, when lines of time stretch and blur, and he reawakens into yet another living nightmare, battling the same enemies he’s always faced.
Entwined with the story of Holly Chen, a tough and thoughtful underage Chinese escort from LA, with an attitude and outlook that can’t help but enchant and mystify, this sordid tale is as sharp as it is entertaining, as dark as it is uplifting. It’s a glimpse into a corner of humanity few have seen, taking readers on an unforgettable ride.
“Hard-edged, vernacular and bold, shapeshifter storytelling. Readers may tease out the devil from the details…an exciting first novel.” -Al Young, former poet laureate of CA
“A dark saga of triumph and suffering, rooted deep in the mind of a philosophical killer, and underscored by shocking brutality and surprising sensitivity…” –Samizdat Literary Journal, a review of Death or Quarter
Paul D Blumer 