THE THIEVES OF MANHATTAN

This smart novel lampoons the world of book publishing with a parody of action-adventure books. Author Langer gives listeners a strange world in which literary references substitute for nouns, like calling a hat a “Capote” or renaming cigarettes “Vonneguts." Despite having to cope with this silly convention, narrator Rich Orlow is captivating. The work shines a light on the laziness and corruption of publishers, in particular satirizing novels rife with historical puzzles and clues found in ancient tomes. Inspired by stories of plagiarism, hoaxes (such as James Frey's A MILLION LITTLE PIECES), and real life, Langer's hero, Ian Minot, agrees to commit a monstrous literary fraud and humble the publishing gods. But, as in any good novel, nothing is what it seems. Everyone lies, and Minot is forced to rewrite his own story to survive the machinations. M.S. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2011]