Starr, Jason 1966–

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Starr, Jason 1966–

PERSONAL: Born November 22, 1966, in New York, NY; married; children: one daughter. Education: Binghampton University, B.A., 1988; Brooklyn College, M.F.A., 1990. Hobbies and other interests: Movies, sports, travel.

ADDRESSES: Home—New York, NY. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Orion House, 5 Upper St. Martin's Ln., London WC2H 9EA, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Richmond Review (online literary magazine), editor. Has worked as a telemarketer.

AWARDS, HONORS: Barry Award for best paperback, 2004, for Tough Luck; Anthony Award, Boucheron World Mystery, 2005, for Twisted City.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Cold Caller, Norton (New York, NY), 1998.

Nothing Personal, No Exit Press (Harpenden, England), 1998.

Fake I.D., No Exit Press (Harpenden, England), 2000.

Hard Feelings, Vintage (New York, NY), 2002.

Tough Luck, Vintage (New York, NY), 2003.

Twisted City, Vintage (New York, NY), 2004.

Lights Out, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2006.

(With Ken Bruen) Bust, Hard Case Crime, 2006.

OTHER

October Squall (screenplay), 2004.

Contributor to business magazines, including Financial World and Crain's New York Business; short stories have appeared in the Barcelona Review, Richmond Review, Shots, and Crime Time, as well as in anthologies in England, Italy, and France; playwright for several theatre groups in New York, NY.

SIDELIGHTS: Jason Starr worked as a successful telemarketer for years before writing his first novel, and he used the experience for the basis of his debut story. In Cold Caller protagonist Bill Moss gives the reader insight into the life of a downsized American professional. Moss had previously held a high-level job as an advertising executive but was dismissed when he was suspected of sexual harassment. Faced with extremely high rent and unable to find any job of equal quality, he is forced to work as a telemarketer who makes cold calls for a failing long-distance phone company. For the next two years, Moss works in this new and mediocre job environment, where he must put up with riding the subway, working out of a cubicle, and dealing with an incompetent and alcoholic boss who takes the credit for Moss's work.

A particularly bad day, which includes getting assaulted on the subway and getting locked out of his bedroom by his girlfriend, sends Moss over the edge. He enters the new territory of insanity, killing someone in the process. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly called Cold Caller a "stylish pulp throwback" reminiscent of the 1930s "Black Mask" series.

Starr's second novel, the thriller Nothing Personal, looks at how crime drives two very different couples together and apart. The poor DePinos struggle with compulsive gambler husband Joey's gambling debts and a failing marriage. He decides to solve the problem by kidnapping the daughter of his wife's friends, the wealthy Sussmans. Husband David is a successful advertising executive, who has a mistress out to get him and his wife. Because of Joey and David's situations, they end up killing and committing blackmail in an attempt to solve their problems. "Starr just never lets up as he twists the plot in ever more sinister directions," observed Booklist critic Joanne Wilkinson, "and his deadpan tone is a perfect match for his material."

Moving towards black comedy, Starr's Tough Luck finds the main character, down-on-his luck Mickey Prada, getting drawn deeper into the criminal world in the 1980s. While working at a seafood market in Brooklyn and trying to earn enough to go to college, he deals with an ailing father and is compelled to place bets for his customer Angelo Santoro. Angelo's bets are bad, so Mickey finds both the bookie and Angelo after him because Angelo refuses to pay. To get out of this difficulty, he agrees to go on a home robbery job with best friend Chris. Though the crime was supposed to be a sure thing, it does not go well and Mickey finds himself spiraling downward. A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted: "Starr moves deftly through his milieu, twisting expectations and producing a grim comedy."

Twisted City is a noir novel that revolves around David Miller, who has an unsatisfying life both personally and professionally. When his wallet is lost one day, David goes to the tenement apartment of Charlotte, a prostitute with a drug problem, to retrieve the missing item. Instead, he finds himself with problems that may cost him his life. A Publishers Weekly contributor praised the author for creating an ordinary character who finds himself "calmly accepting a ticket to hell, where an ending worthy of Charles Willeford at his most absurd awaits him."

Starr once told CA: "Some of my favorite writers, such as Ernest Hemingway, Paul Bolos, Jim Thompson, and Patricia Highsmith, have been major influences for me. I write for several hours every day and try to complete at least one new book each year."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 2000, Joanne Wilkinson, review of Nothing Personal, p. 1625.

Publishers Weekly, March 16, 1998, review of Cold Caller, p. 54; October 28, 2002, review of Tough Luck, p. 47; June 28, 2004, review of Twisted City, p. 32.