TYPORAMA
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This riveting must-read dives deep into a dark and dangerous business as struggling divorcée Jeanette King becomes embroiled in a criminal ring when she discovers her ex-husband’s cache of baby eels.
J.J. Viertel is the pseudonym used by the father-son writing team of Jack and Josh Viertel.
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September 9
Mysterious Press; Hardcover
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ABOUT THE GLASS EEL:
Caterpillar Island is off the central coast of Maine―beloved vacationland of lobster bakes and quaint fried clam shacks, kayaking and country houses.
At night, though, by the light of a headlamp, the island is alive with cash, guns, and poachers.
Oxy addicts, struggling retirees, and unemployable deadbeats dip their nets in the creeks to catch elvers―two-inch-long baby eels that fetch $2000 a pound on the international black market.
Into this dark and dangerous world falls Jeanette King, who has, up to this moment, been earning her meager living mainly by picking and packaging peekytoe crab meat for shipment to New York and Boston.
As Jeanette gets drawn into a fast-moving story of risk and violent consequences, she enlists the aid of a local policeman and an Indigenous activist.
Together they try to set things right for the people and the planet.
But the deeper they dig, the more dangerous things get. An ensuing procession of colorful locals, corrupt state politicians, and treacherous outsiders weaves a tale that reveals the underbelly of a deadly business.
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PRAISE FOR THE GLASS EEL:
"I loved every bit of The Glass Eel: It’s part The Overstory, and then also a bit Mare of Eastwick, with a wondrous female lead. It is so absorbing to feel oneself there [on the Maine Coast] and surrounded by these very gritty people. I liked them so much. [The Viertels] write about [the natural world]―the tiny changes―the exquisite complexity and beauty of it all―all mashed over and tragically corrupted by man’s greed and ignorance. The battle between nature and human greed is beautifully and horribly well realized. The book is great. It’ll make a helluva film, too!"― Emma Thompson
"The Glass Eel meets all my standards for fiction: an engrossing and highly imaginative plot; vivid characters; the revelation of a world completely unknown to me; and a narrative style that pulled me right along. Two bonuses: stunning nature writing and hilarious lines that lighten the plot at absolutely critical moments."― Daniel Okrent, prize-winning author of The Guarded Gate
"Now here’s a world I knew nothing about, but thanks to this wonderful novel I’m completely engrossed in the lives of the characters who inhabit the fisheries of Maine. The Viertels bring them brilliantly to life―I can still taste the saltwater. What a triumph!"― Lawrence Wright, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Plague Year
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J.J. Viertel is the pseudonym used by the father-son writing team of Jack and Josh Viertel who live in Maine and New York.
Prior to writing this novel, Jack Viertel has been instrumental in bringing many Tony winning new plays, musicals and revivals to theaters, including ANGELS IN AMERICA, Jerry Zaks’s legendary production of GUYS AND DOLLS, GRAND HOTEL, CITY OF ANGELS, JELLY'S LAST JAM, the Brian Dennehy production of DEATH OF A SALESMAN, PROOF, DOUBT, THE PRODUCERS, BOOK OF MORMON, LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! And TAKE ME OUT.
He produced the revival of GYPSY and the critically acclaimed revival of FINIAN’S RAINBOW.
He was a co-producer and conceiver of the longest running musical revue in Broadway history, SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE, the conceiver of the critically acclaimed AFTER MIDNIGHT, and served as the dramaturg for HAIRSPRAY, DEAR EVAN HANSEN, A CHRISTMAS STORY and THE OUTSIDERS.
The musical and movie THE PROM were developed from his original concept. Josh Viertel is listed as one of the seven most powerful voices in the food movement by Forbes and Michael Pollan, has been named a Hunt Prime Mover, selected as a Rockwood Leadership Fellow, named President of Slow Food USA, and is co-founder and director of the Yale Sustainable Food Project.
When they aren’t writing crime thrillers together, they each have their own careers: Jack creates Broadway plays and musicals, and Josh creates organic farms.
Josh is a fly fisherman and bow hunter and Jack is a scuba diver and barbecue chef. In addition to writing, they play the blues together.
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Connect with Josh Viertel:
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