Hell's Kitchen

By Chris Niles

Book Overview

"Fusing the black humor of Shallow Grave with the sassy observations of Sex in the City, this is an unexpected treat." --The Mirror

"A comedy, a very black one about flat-hunting in New York where anyone with an apartment to rent could easily be a conman or woman or, if you are really unlucky, a serial killer. Gruesome and hilarious in turns, the book not only shows off the author's acute observational powers but proves she has superb timing when it comes to telling a joke, and where the targets are the media or the American obsession with health, beauty and fitness, she takes no prisoners." --Birmingham Post

Cyrus is a millionaire recluse.

Oh, and a serial killer who preys upon apartment hunters in New York City. Armstead Maupin meets Carl Hiaasen in a brilliant black comedy that traces the paths of disparate characters floating through New York, about to collide in a treacherous story that will make you think twice about ever answering a classified ad.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1888451211
• ISBN13: 9781888451214
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Akashic Books, Ltd.
• Length: 325 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Original plot and characters

The lives of various New Yorkers (including a serial killer, struggling writer, and beautiful pickpocket) intersect in this engrossing story. Full of memorable characters and wonderfully dark humour, this is one book that will stay with you longer after reading the last page.

Quick , down to earth, witty read.

I enjoyed the down to earth writting style of Chris. Slighty gritty but ever so funny account of finding someplace to live in New York. Who would of thought it could be murder. Stories are broken into short ,easy to read chunks not heavy on the eyes.

finally, a book whose blurb lives up to its insides

What a grippping read, even if Cyrus's actions seem a little bit improbable. I don't actually know any psychopaths so I can't really judge. A millionaire serial killer is such a good idea and finding a place to live in Manhattan seems impossible. Put the two together, add a mix of 4 very different and interesting characters, and you have a tasty pudding. I couldn't put this book down. It is also amazing to find a psychological thriller with lots of humour. I am definitely going to read Niles's other books.

Great situation comedy - as dark as it comes!

Whoah! Talk about black comedy!Her earlier series featuring radio newsman Sam Ridley displays a flair for the comic side of mystery fiction, but Niles truly comes into her own with this romp through present day Manhattan.The dark situation comedy is peopled with an unlikely mix of characters: a lovely con artist who has been carefully taught by her British father in all the tricks of the trade; a writer enduring an apparent life long attack of writers' block, reduced to composing inserts for fortune cookies; a TV news reporter struggling to hold on to her career while working under an editor committed to sexual harassment as a way of life; a distraught midwestern mother searching for her missing son & daughter-in-law, assisted by a sympathetic New York cop; and a delightful cast of supporting characters too numerous to list here.All the plot lines converge on the issue of finding a Manhattan apartment to sublet at reasonable cost, and the presence of a homicidal maniac who entices his victims to his Greenwich Village apartment through newspaper classifieds.The book drew me in in wonderful "can't put it down" style - and until only 2-3 pages before the hilarious conclusion, I had no idea whatever how events would conclude. I just love it when that happens!

Unique and intriguing.

Unique and intriguing. Fortunate enough not to be in Manhattan looking for an apartment to rent, I read Chris Niles' novel, Hell's Kitchen, with wonderful interest. The book is odd and quirky, humorous and deranged, or in a word, enjoyable.Chris Niles targets a select group of people who find themselves about to be homeless for one reason or another. And in case you did not know, people practically kill to find apartments for rent in Manhattan. However, this novel moves to a different beat. This is not a murder mystery about someone killing to get a place. This is the story of a serial killer that murders people who call on his ad for a room to rent. The individual stories of the characters looking for an apartment would have been enough to make this a surprising and refreshing novel. Their lives are all so different and interesting. With Niles adding a serial killer to the plot, it just made the entire story that much more entertaining.With witty and clever scenes, poetic narrative, humor and some insight into the mind of a serial Killer, Chris Niles has written an exciting novel in Hell's Kitchen. --Phillip Tomasso III, author of Third Ring & Tenth House