Bone in the Throat

When up-and-coming chef Tommy Pagana settles for a less than glamorous stint at his uncle's restaurant in Manhattan's Little Italy, he unwittingly finds himself a partner in big-time crime. And when the mob decides to use the kitchen for a murder, nothing Tommy learned in cooking school has prepared him for what happens next. With the FBI on one side, and his eccentric wise guy superiors on the other, Tommy has to struggle to do right by his conscience, and to avoid getting killed in the meantime.

In the vein of Prizzi's Honor , Bone in the Throat is a thrilling Mafia caper laced with entertaining characters and wry humor. This first novel is a must-have for fans of Anthony Bourdain's nonfiction.

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

punk rock cook, 2008-10-10
Enjoyed the punk rock references and the kitchen scenes. I worked in a restaurant myself at one point, and could picture my own staff getting caught up in this type of mess.

Any fan of Anthony Bourdain and his television show "No Reservations" will likely be entertained by this one. It reads very similar to his spoken dialogue on the show with sprinkled bits and pieces of cynicism.




0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Entertaining, 2008-08-05
Decent, fast, easy reading. I often forgot I was reading a book of fiction written by a chef. Not the best I've ever read, but certainly not the worse. Great effort for a chef.


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

As satisfying as a slice of real New York "garbage pizza" (pizza with everything), 2008-06-12
After reading Tony's non-fiction works, I was quite interested in giving this a try, albeit with some trepidation (as a former bookseller, I've seen a lot of 'celebrity fiction' that was about as tasty as that 3-week old milk I don't have in the refrigerator.)

I had a feeling, however, that this would work out. I wasn't surprised to find myself entertained from the very first page. Bourdain's senses sight and hearing are as well-honed as his chef skills; his descriptions and dialogue rings completely true as he spins this tale of organized crime, the awesomeness that is New York, fine (and-not-so-much) cuisine, the joys and hardships of familial relationships, and the horrorshow of addiction (his description of scoring heroin via an amazingly efficiently-run system housed in an abandoned building teeming with low-lifes should be required reading for anyone considering experimenting with the hard stuff. And corporate CEOs.)

There's an obvious comparison to make here: if you enjoyed the way the writers of The Sopranos managed to balance these themes, you'll enjoy this book the way you enjoyed the best episodes of that show. Not to mention pick up a new skill or recipe or two.

I'm probably never going to have the opportunity to eat a meal prepared by Anthony Bourdain, but I'd be nearly as satisfied to get a new novel every couple of years. I hope he finds time to do more fiction writing. Soon.


1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

a stretch, 2008-01-18
Bourdain is an irresistible presence on TV, no doubt. But he is no storyteller when working in prose. This story was thinner than consommé and about as mentally nutritious. Enjoy the tv show with all it's exotic locales and characters because the author brings none of the titillation to this effort.


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

A Great Story And A Book You Won't Want To Put Down, 2008-01-01
I read this book after reading Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential" autobiography. I wanted to see Bourdain's fictional styling and was quite impressed. "Bone In The Throat" is the story of Tommy, son of a mafia gangster and is struggles to stay disassociated with the mob while trying to advance his career as a professional chef. Bordain's style of writing is simple and reflects his own upbringing in New York. Although fictional, Bourdain's descriptions of what goes on behind the seens at a NYC restaurant closely reflects the descriptions of his experiences in "Kitchen Confidential." Although long and nearly 300 pages this book is a quick read and something you won't really want to put down. I highly suggest giving this book a read if you want to get sucked into the world of the mob, restaurants, drugs & sex.

I rate this 5 out of 5 stars. Get off your computer and go read it :)

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