Blood Red Turns Dollar Green: A Novel Paperback – September 20, 2016

I recently met Paul O'Brien after learning about and buying this novel. Only after I read it, I learned that the book has been endorsed by Mick Foley, the bestselling-ever writer about professional wrestling. Great endorsement.It's a hard-nosed suspenseful drama about the early 70's wrestling business. Like most thrillers, it shifts viewpoint characters, in this case mainly between promoter Danno Garland and his bumbling operative Lenny Long. Danno bears comparing to Michael Corleone in many ways, needing to rise to the level of his father's own ruthlessness if he is to succeed. Lenny is a lifelong "mark" or fan who doesn't have the size to be a wrestler, longs to be "smartened up" and is willing to sacrifice his family life and his health to get closer to the wrestling business.O'Brien captures well the backroom, cigar-smoking atmosphere of the territory days, as well as I can judge from the numerous wrestler autobiographies I have read covering that time. His narrative is gripping, his characters well-defined. There is a certain wild-west feel that very much suits a depiction of the era. And O'Brien touches on many key themes in the story of wrestling, with his convincing imitation of the NWA, his representation of wrestlers' kayfabe (protecting industry secrets), social relationsips, drinking, health problems, relations with the fans, secret homosexuality, and genuine violence.I was continuously interested in this good short novel. My only regret is that O'Brien did not also develop the perspective of an in-ring wrestler, with details of the work itself. As he has left a few loose ends to support an intended series, I hope this element will appear in his next wrestling novel.In summary: Blood Red Turns Dollar Green is good if you are a wrestling fan and good if you like suspenseful drama about sports or dirty business dealings. Paul O'Brien is a writer I mean to keep reading.

It really is The Godfather with suplexes! I can see why JR sought out Paul O'Brien to help with his autobiography. The man obviously knows the business of pro wrestling. He weaves an intriguing tale with multiple characters. Just about the time, I thought I knew where the plot was going . . . swerve! If you like pro wrestling. If you like old school territory wrestling, this is the book for you. The highest compliment I can give is that my wife (not much into wrestling) is reading the book and enjoying it. Good stuff, Maynard!

For the record, I think that Paul O'Brien is a jerk for writing such great books and then making me wait until October to find out what happens next. After listening to his interview on the Inside The Ropes wrestling podcast, I started reading the Amazon Kindle preview for the first book and needed to own it immediately.I've always loved reading, but rarely make time to sit down and read an entire book-- and I finished both volumes in about a week. I'm a fan of wrestling, I'm a fan of compelling characters, I'm a fan of good storytelling, and I'm a fan of well-written prose; I found all of them in Blood Red Turns Dollar Green.The books obviously appealed to me as a wrestling fan, but I also think the complex characters and interwoven stories appealed to the Boardwalk Empire fan in me. I can see why Mick Foley compared the books to "The Godfather with suplexes."I'm not one who normally takes the time to thank authors for their work or submit reviews without prompting, but these novels are easily among my favorites.Still... Paul O'Brien is a jerk for letting me read volumes 1 and 2 back to back and making me wait for volume 3. I'm looking forward to the conclusion of the trilogy, and I hope to be put through the agony of anticipating many more wrestling crime novels in years to come.

Blood Red Turns Dollar Green is a solid first novel from Paul O'Brien. Set in the past, it revolves around the world of professional wrestling in its territorial heyday, where money is king and the business is protected at all costs. O'Brien does a good job of establishing the carny-like nature of the wrestling profession from that era, with all its quirks and conceits. The reader discovers what the promoters and their wrestlers are willing to do to drive profits for their shows and what toll this hard life can have on them and their families. Part thriller, part mystery, we follow Danno Garland in his multi-year attempt to build up his territory during his promotion's run with the world champion, as well as driver and lackey Lenny Long's ambition to break into the insular wrestling business at the expense of his family life.O'Brien admirably manages the comings and goings of over a dozen important characters and makes accessible a wrestling hierarchy that could have been confusing to readers new to the business. Characters typically have enough depth to feel three dimensional, although a little more attention could have been given to some of the second tier characters.It's not a perfect book. There's at least one subplot that never quite flowed into the rest of the story and one that seemed to fade away without sufficient closure. There's a structural issue that I think undermines the story slightly. There are a couple of anachronisms, a few incidents of Irish idioms that didn't feel natural to the characters using them, a case or two when the book lapsed into present tense verbs. Minor issues that collectively detracted from an enjoyable read.O'Brien's best achievement is the pure readability of the book. The narrative flows along through several years of story, multiple characters, a nuanced business structure, and ever evolving schemes within schemes without ever losing the reader. The book is listed as "Volume 1" and is obviously set up for a sequel, but offers a satisfying ending in its own right.I feel the Kindle edition is the perfect value for the story. I'd feel less enthusiastic about paying for the print edition. I will definitely be buying the sequel, as I want to find out what happens next. That's, perhaps, the best compliment a reader can give an author.

Really enjoyed the book, probably not enjoyable for non wrestling fans though

I wish I was an avid reader, the fact is I'm not. However it's not due to my ignorance towards literature, for whatever reason my attention span when reading is limited and I'm quite particular on what I read. This book is ridiculously good! The combination of wrestling and a great read with gripping suspense that would rival any crime/thriller book, this is a work of literary genius! Love it! Ordered Volume 2 and will order Volume 3 once more are back in stock! Cannot wait to see what the future holds for Paul O'Brien, great novelist. Gripping story of the sport I love, with crime thrown in for good measure! A must read and a great book to have in the collection.

The book is constantly jumpimg in time and at some point, I started to wonder whether I'd be missing something if I didn't double check the time constantly. Turned out this was not the case.Overall, the book was an enjoyable read, despite a few characters being somewhat unlikeable. Once you're on the finish line and the pieces are falling into place, it's really hooking you in and hard to put down.

What a fantastic start to this series, setting up your interest in the volume to follow. The characters are both intriguing and darkly likeable as you begin to learn who they are and why they are who they are. Following the various twists and turns and motivations keeps you on your toes.A great way to draw one into a thrilling series!

I'd heard a lot of good things about this book set in the murky world of professional wrestling in the late 60's and early 70's and I'm very pleased to say that the hype was indeed justified. This is a cracker of a story populated with the kind of characters and situations that would sit well in an Elmore Leonard novel. In fact the highest praise I can give is to say that Blood Red Turns Dollar Green may well be the best novel that Leonard didn't write. I'm eagerly awaiting delivery of volume 2 to see where this twisted tale will go next.