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The Voice of the Dog
by David Benjamin
Farfel has sworn an oath to serve and protect the people of New York. Unfortunately, his master is killing the people of New York.
Farfel is a German shepherd and a retired NYPD K-9 police officer. Early in David Benjamin’s novel, The Voice of the Dog, Farfel realizes that his new master, Reggie Stockwell, is murdering people in one of the nicer neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Reggie, perhaps the most sexually frustrated man in all of New York, has determined to kill as many lovers as he can—especially women—in hopes of starting a trend that results in the end of sex as we know it.
Farfel’s only hope to end the carnage is to talk Reggie out of the next murder, or maybe the murder after that.
As Farfel explains, all dogs can talk. Unfortunately, the rare human who understands Dogspeak is usually either a lunatic or a little kid. Reggie, who’s nuts, understands every word Farfel utters.
January 2022 • Saturday Afternoon at the Bookstore
On a chilly day in January, Literatus & Co., a congenial bookstore on Main Street in Watertown, Wisconsin, proprietors Wes and Isabel threw a launch party for the third in David Benjamin’s small town crime series, featuring police chief Jim Otis, Woman Trouble.
In a cozy reading room at Literatus, a group of Midwestern literati gathered to talk of books, writing and Benjamin’s books, of cabbages and kings. This informal roundtable turned into a lively conversation that lasted longer — and rendered more enjoyment — than expected.
Videographer Michael Raymond, the creator of Benj’s YouTube channel, was on hand to record the whole session. Later, he edited away all the hemming, hawing and surplusage. He titled the resulting video ”Saturday Afternoon at the Bookstore.” Take a look!
Last Kid News:
It’s not easy for a small independent publisher to crack the fortress of America’s largest bookstore chain, Barnes & Noble, which decides on titles through a supply chain that heavily favors the major publishing houses in Manhattan. However, through the combined efforts of publicist Sharyn Alden, with a little help from David Benjamin, Last Kid Books has developed a relationship with the local managers of B&N in the West Towne mall that represent a breakthrough.
Starting on 15 April, the West Towne Barnes & Noble will be featuring the full catalog of Benjamin’s LKB titles on a table just inside the stores entrance. The display will include notice of Benjamin’s appearance, to meet readers and sign copies of his books, on Saturday, 20 April, from 11 am-1 pm.
Among the available titles will be the newest Last Kid Books title, a thriller set in Brooklyn, The Voice of the Dog, which came off the press on 1 April. Until The Voice of the Dog is released into the national distribution network, it won’t available in stores or or online at www.lastkidbooks.com for a few weeks. So, the West Towne B&N will be the sole source.
Nick Chiarkas, the Madison-based author of Weepers and Nunzio’s Way (both books also set in New York) has called Benjamin a “brilliant storyteller and writer” and said about The Voice of the Dog, “This book grabbed me by the collar and would not let go. Truly. I started reading to get a feel, and on page 3, I stopped, got a glass of wine, sat in my reading chair, and finished it right there. I loved it.”
The Voice Of The Dog
The Melting Grandmother
Bistro Nights
Dead Shot
The Life and Times of the Last Kid Picked
Last Kid Books
is a publishing house with a sense of humor. Dedicated — at its outset — to publishing the works of prolific storyteller David Benjamin, LKB embodies Benjamin’s wry wit and narrative adventurousness.
Last Kid Books takes its name from David Benjamin’s beloved Midwestern coming-of-age story, The Life and Times of the Last Kid Picked (published by Random House in 2002). Benjamin is also author of SUMO: A Thinking Fan’s Guide to Japan’s National Sport, a Charles E. Tuttle title, revised in 2010, that has been in print since 1990. Two previous Benjamin novels, Three’s A Crowd (a noir comedy) and A Sunday Kind of Love (a football romance), have been added to the Last Kid Books imprint, as well as Black Dragon, released in July 2019.
David Benjamin is a novelist, journalist, provocateur and habitual humorist who has lived his life — occasionally to his chagrin — by the words of Nobel laureate Juan Ramon Jimenez: “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.”
Last Kid Books is Benjie’s showcase.
