Nonfiction
Dogfella
“A heartwarming tale about a bad guy tamed by a very small and wonderful creature…A truly delightful and inspiring memoir. . .” – Hudson Valley News
Dogfella tells how this onetime altar boy from Queens became a gang member, a mob confidante, an an addict and convicted felon—and how he found redemption by dedicating his life to animals. Alongside his personal journey, James shares stories from his rescue missions with Keno's Animal Rescue Shelter in Brooklyn: saving pit bulls from a dogfighting ring, driving through six-foot snowdrifts to reach 200 cats stranded in a blizzard, taking in homeless ducks from Staten Island, and many more. Sometimes scary, sometimes funny, and often poignant, James's story shows how the love of an animal can bring even the most hopeless cases a new purpose and a path to redemption.
Charlie Stella is a critically acclaimed author of numerous crime novels, short stories, a screenplay, and three off-off Broadway plays. His third novel, Charlie Opera, was picked as a Publishers Weekly Mystery Book of the Year in 2003. He received an MFA in fiction from Southern New Hampshire University.
Crime & Money
Volume 2 of the insightful, entertaining magazine in book form around the detective story contemporary, issued by Germany's leading crime critics: Money makes the world - and thus the crime. But it does not always have the kapitalste all crimes: murder is known in reality a rather rare crime, money - especially the painful lack of it - but a key driving force of economic activity. Money is always a motive, omnipresent, virtually omnipotent. Kriminalliterature explores not only how to get money or lose it. She also explores the gray areas in between, where it comes to poverty and wealth, power and powerlessness, structural violence and informal economy, organized crime and legal organized crime.
Critically acclaimed American crime novelist Charlie Stella has contributed an essay, The Mob: The perfect eating machine in the perfect environment—America, outlining the Italian mob's current and past stronghold in America.
Short Stories
Baltimore Noir
Ode to the O's
Charlie Stella’s on-target dialog spotlights mob efficiency in “Ode to the O’s.”
— Library Journal
Charlie Stella’s mob story, “Ode to the O’s,” is brutally direct. —Publisher’s Weekly
Bestselling mystery writer Laura Lippman and cohorts dissect their own city with a vengeance.
Hardboiled Brooklyn
Waiting for Gallo
...the standout for me were Charlie Stella’s Waiting for Gallo...— CrimeSpree Magazine
Waiting for Gallo was listed as an "other distinguished mysteries" in Otto Penzler's anthology of Best Mystery stories.
Short stories set in the County of Kings, this collection boasts an all-star line up of today's hottest crime fiction writers.
Bloodlines: A Horse Racing Anthology
The Cynical Breed
This anthology about the fascinating world of horse racing is interesting in its unusual mix of fiction and nonfiction... — KLIATT
From provocative peeks into the lives of jockeys, trainers, owners, and breeders, to the down and dirty doings of bookies and gamblers, this anthology is literary tribute to a favorite national pastime.
Dublin Noir
Tainted Goods
“Stella has an economic prose style and a great feel for dialog. — Nasty. Brutish. Short. (Blog Post)
Irish crime-fiction novelist Ken Bruen and an awe-inspiring cast of writers shine a light on the dark streets of Dublin. The "Celtic Tiger" of modern Irish prosperity comes under gritty scrutiny in Dublin Noir.
Damn Near Dead
Geezer Tricks
Some [of the stories] are hilarious; many are sad; all are the kind of stuff that makes Miss Marple look like a Girl Scout.
— Chicago Tribune
Welcome to a twilight world where turning 65 can mean you're the last woman standing... or the guy too stubborn to die. Here you'll encounter ORIGINAL crime tales by today's hottest crime writers.
Hardcore Hardboiled
The Milfinators
You have to look hard to find two consecutive pages that don't deal with sex or violence, but why would you want to? If you're man enough, you'll love this book. If you're not, give it to your girlfriend. If she accepts it and enjoys it, never turn your back on her. — Otto Penzler
These 25 crime stories will appeal to those with a who don't shy away from violence.
Plots With Guns
Young Tommy Burns
“Young Tommy Burns,” is a piece on one of the minor characters from his terrific upcoming book, Cheapskates — Crime Fiction Dossier
Firearm-fueled crime fiction anthology featuring 24 contemporary authors of "noir fiction."
Missing Detective
Father Diodorus
In short, an unsettling story (Father Diodorus) skillfully written. — Mississippi Review
From traditional mystery stories to terse thrillers with edge-of-the-seat climaxes to the psychological suspense, this stunning collection of the year's (2005) features the best offerings in the mystery genre.