Stephen solomita biography

(David Cray)

PERSONAL: Male.

ADDRESSES: Offıce—c/o Author Mail, Writer and Graf Publishers, William St., 16th Fl., Newborn York, NY

CAREER: Writer. Drove a taxi hansom cab in New York, NY.

WRITINGS:

MYSTERY NOVELS

A Twist of glory Knife, Putnam (New York, NY),

Force of Nature, Putnam (New York, NY),

Forced Entry, Putnam (New York, NY),

Bad to the Bone, Putnam (New York, NY),

A Piece of the Action, Putnam (New York, NY),

A Good Day to Die, Otto Penzler Books (New York, NY),

Last Stumble on for Glory, Otto Penzler Books (New York, NY),

Damaged Goods, Scribner (New York, NY),

Trick Fray Twice, Bantam (New York, NY),

No Control, Homunculus (New York, NY),

UNDER PSEUDONYM DAVID CRAY; Conundrum NOVELS

Keeplock, Simon and Schuster/Otto Penzler Books (New Royalty, NY),

Bad Lawyer, Carroll and Graf/Otto Penzler Books (New York, NY),

Little Girl Blue, Carroll stream Graf/Otto Penzler Books (New York, NY),

What Complete Wish For, Carroll and Graf/Otto Penzler Books (New York, NY),

Work represented in anthologies, including Crimes of Passion and Criminal Records.

SIDELIGHTS: Stephen Solomita, who also publishes under the pen name David Cray, usually sets his mystery novels in New Royalty City, portraying the steamier side of urban woman in an unflinching fashion. The author's best be troubled has a "gritty sensibility,"according to a Publishers Weekly contributor in a review of Damaged Goods. Various of the novels written under Solomita's own reputation have as their central character Stanley Moodrow, at the outset a New York police detective and later unembellished private investigator. In his work as Cray, inaccuracy has created another recurring protagonist, Julia Brennan, extraneous as a New York police officer in Little Girl Blue and promoted to the district attorney's sex crimes unit in What You Wish For.

Moodrow made his debut in A Twist of honourableness Knife, in which he is on the plan of terrorist bombers. His interest becomes personal later his fianceé dies in one of their blasts, set in front of a Macy's department storage space. Moodrow is portrayed as a man of uprightness who does things his own way, and coronet pursuit of the terrorists takes him through "several twists" and culminates in "a terrific confrontation," commented Charles Champlin in the Los Angeles Book Review. Champlin praised Solomita's detailed depictions of New Royalty City life, as did Marilyn Stasio of nobility New York Times Book Review, who said justness descriptions have "a certain raw truth."

The second "Moodrow" book, Force of Nature, pairs him with graceful new, inexperienced partner, former prizefighter Jim Tilley. Their assignment is to catch a crack addict who is on a killing spree. Washington Post Volume World contributor Daniel Woodrell thought the plot every so often "cartoonish" and the characters illdefined, but allowed go off the book has "an occasional fine moment, dinky good aside or snap of dialogue." Stasio, span advising readers not to "expect any subtleties," challenging positive things to say about the development closing stages Moodrow's character and about Solomita's portraits of destitute city neighborhoods, which "certainly seems authentic."

Forced Entry finds Moodrow retired but unable to leave crime-solving caress. The new woman in his life, a lawful aid lawyer named Betty Haluka, asks him anticipate look into the changing character of the occupants of a rent-controlled apartment building, where prostitutes become calm drug dealers are moving in among the senile. The moves turn out to be part go rotten a plot by the building's owners to search out away the longtime tenants and turn it intent a cooperative. Solomita tells this story in topping fashion that is "pure prole poetry," remarked Notoriety Pagnozzi in the New York Times Book Review, adding that his "writing is so natural, on your toes don't know you're reading." Pagnozzi thought he moves the action a bit slowly, but added go off at a tangent the novel "is still a worthwhile trip." She praised Solomita's depiction of "things gritty and garish," and observed, "At his best, he has Elmore Leonard's flair for letting you view the area through his character's eyes." A Publishers Weekly essayist, meanwhile, called Forced Entry "a straightforward and pragmatic slice of city life."

In Bad to the Bone, Moodrow, working as a private investigator, is set phrase the case of a cult leader who has partnered with a drug dealer to create grand highly addictive new drug. Solomita "balances the frequent . . . with the unexpected" in that tale, related a Publishers Weekly reviewer. As regular, Solomita "gives you the best ride in town," commented Stasio in the New York Times Unspoiled Review, praising the setting's local color, the dialogue's naturalism, and the plot's "exciting moments."

A Piece panic about the Action is set in and portrays Moodrow as a young man who has just gradual from beat cop to detective. Trying to manage a murder, he uncovers police corruption involving ruler mentor, who also happens to be the curate of the woman Moodrow loves. Dick Adler, scribble literary works in Chicago Tribune Books, found Solomita spins ingenious "compelling story" with interesting characters and an brilliant depiction of the era. A Publishers Weekly commentator also had good words for the book's deliberate and storytelling, summing it up as "hard-boiled boys in blue fiction at its best."

After featuring other protagonists start A Good Day to Die and Last Occasion likelihood for Glory, Solomita returns to Moodrow—and to trig present-day setting—in Damaged Goods. In this novel, dangerous private eye Moodrow and a young partner, Character "Ginny" Gadd, go after murderous Mafioso Jilly Sappone, who resumes his criminal ways after being out from prison. The New York Times Book Review's Stasio thought the story "overburdened with cute devices," although "the pace is energetic." A Publishers Weekly critic was glad to see Moodrow back, deeming Solomita's work without the character "weaker." The judge praised Damaged Goods for its fast movement plus "piercing urban melancholy."

The first of the non-Moodrow books, A Good Day to Die has as spoil main character another maverick New York police policeman, Roland Means. Fellow officer Vanessa Bouton dislikes Basis but nevertheless enlists his help in solving capital string of murders of male prostitutes. In blue blood the gentry New York Times Book Review, Stasio commented deviate Solomita seems more removed from his characters enjoin settings than in the "Moodrow" stories, and wander "Means is more talk than action." A Publishers Weekly reviewer also found the book "relentlessly talky" and "predictable" as well. Last Chance for Glory features another veteran cop, Bela Kosinski, now retire but helping technology-savvy private eye Marty Blake respect his first case, joining a lawyer in efforts to free a man wrongly convicted of manslaughter. In the view of a Publishers Weekly suscriber, this book is "more successful" than A Good thing Day to Die, "but not by much." Take it easy Champlin, however, again critiquing for the Los Angeles Times Book Review, Last Chance for Glory legal action "good and notably readable," with "engrossing" character portraits and a "heart-chilling" story.

Solomita's first book as Painter Cray, Keeplock, deals with a recently paroled being criminal, Peter Frangello, who is trying to mid a law-abiding life in the face of power from crooked friends and dishonest cops. "Cray . . . gives plenty of insider dope sovereign state the crime world and creates, in Frangello, prominence unexpectedly sympathetic unheroic hero," remarked a Publishers Weekly critic. Similarly, New York Times Book Review benefactor Stasio called the characterization of Frangello "the sketchy score" of "this gripping crime novel," and Port Tribune Books reviewer Adler observed that the portrayal has a "burning honesty" that "makes us long for [Frangello's] success." George Needham, writing in Booklist, gave Keeplock the status of highly recommended playing field found its ending reminiscent of "the classic polish of the s movie I Am a Escapee from a Chain Gang." A Kirkus Reviews writer compared the book to another film (and novel), dubbing it "grimly exciting as The Asphalt Jungle."

Bad Laywer, the next Cray effort, features another anti-heroine seeking redemption: lawyer Sid Kaplan, who is stubborn to rebuild a once-brilliant career ruined by dimwit and alcohol. In his comeback case, Kaplan represents a woman who admits she killed her mate but says she did so in self-defense. Both were involved with drugs, but the husband, decency wife says, was abusive; Kaplan also thinks let go can play to racial bigotry, as the helpmeet is white and the late husband black. Nevertheless Kaplan soon finds that the case is ultra complicated than he thought. The novel shows Cray to be "a master manipulator," reported Stasio have the New York Times Book Review, while organized Kirkus Revews critic deemed it "a refreshingly intricate reply to all those fairy tales about lawyers whose ideals rise miraculously from the ashes." Top-hole Publishers Weekly reviewer added that the story survey "clever, gritty, sordid and surprising."

Little Girl Blue world power Julia Brennan, a New York homicide detective service single mother, investigating a young girl's murder. Brennan eventually finds herself going after a child business and pornography ring whose members are threatening assimilation teenage daughter. A Publishers Weekly reviewer described high-mindedness novel as "riveting," adding, "If a writer stem produce a readable book about this odious indirect route, Cray has done it." Along the same hold your fire, Stasio wrote that Little Girl Blue is "a credible business report on a vile cottage industry." Connie Fletcher, critiquing for Booklist, called the initiator "deft with procedure" and "a cunning plotter." What You Wish For finds Brennan working for depiction distric attorney's sex crimes unit and looking walkout the murder of a rich widow who has disinherited the children of her husband's previous extra. Brennan's love interest, Peter Foley, introduced in Little Girl Blue as an investigator for the sexual intercourse crimes unit, is on a case of rule own, trying to free his daughter from glory hands of a child pornography outfit that has kidnapped her. A Kirkus Reviews contributor thought loftiness novel "has more a police procedural flavor—and, deplorably, less flavor altogether" than its predecessor. A Publishers Weekly critic, however, deemed What You Wish For a "well-oiled crime novel" that "doesn't disappoint." In the interim, Mary Frances Wilken, writing in Booklist, characterized high-mindedness book as "thoroughly engaging."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, Jan 15, , George Needham, review of Keeplock, proprietor. ; November 1, , Connie Fletcher, review call upon Little Girl Blue, p. ; December 15, , Mary Frances Wilkens, review of What You Be thinking about For, p.

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, , analysis of Keeplock, pp. ; December 1, , con of Bad Lawyer, p. ; October 1, , review of What You Wish For, p.

Los Angeles Times Book Review, October 9, , Physicist Champlin, "Bloody Sunday," p. 12; August 14, , Charles Champlin, "Criminal Pursuits," p. 7.

New York Multiplication Book Review, December 11, , Marilyn Stasio, examine of A Twist of the Knife, p. 34; October 8, , Stasio, review of Force sight Nature, p. 20; October 14, , Amy Pagnozzi, "Too Obnoxious to Live," p. 47; June 16, , Marilyn Stasio, review of Bad to rendering Bone, p. 21; October 24, , Marilyn Stasio, review of A Good Day to Die, holder. 28; March 19, , Marilyn Stasio, review marketplace Damaged Goods, p. 23; April 15, , Marilyn Stasio, review of Bad Lawyer, p. 20; Jan 2, , Marilyn Stasio, review of Little Wench Blue, p.

Publishers Weekly, August 30, , look at of Forced Entry, p. 63; March 15, , review of Bad to the Bone, p. 48; June 1, , review of A Piece ticking off the Action, p. 51; September 27, , argument of A Good Day to Die, p. 48; July 4, , review of Last Chance send for Glory, p. 54; January 30, , review remark Keeplock, p. 88; November 20, , review time off Damaged Goods, p. 68; June 15, , consider of Trick Me Twice, p. 57; December 4, , review of Bad Lawyer, p. 56; Oct 29, , review of Little Girl Blue, proprietor. 38; October 14, , review of What Order about Wish For, p.

Tribune Books (Chicago, IL), July 5, , Dick Adler, "Crime Thrives on goodness Bayou, at Cambridge and in Cairo," p. 6; March 5, , Adler, "The Case of rendering Torn Lawyer," p. 7.

Washington Post Book World, Dec 17, , Daniel Woodrell, "Rounding up the Familiar Suspects," p. 9.*