Works by
Jim Fusilli
(Writer)

Amazon Shorts

• The Whistleblower's Mistake (An Amazon.com Short)
  "I've spent much of the past year learning new, better ways to tell my stories, primarily by writing short fiction. “The Whistleblower's Mistake” is a bit of a twist on the locked-room mystery. Terry Orr is almost a bystander in the story, which takes him off the streets of New York City and places him in an environmen

Books

• Closing Time (2001)
  It's after midnight and a novice private investigator, out for a late-night run, discovers the battered body of a livery cab driver in downtown Manhattan's meatpacking district. Two days later, he witnesses a bloody explosion at a gala opening at a SoHo art gallery.
  
  Unrelated incidents? Not to Terry Orr. A single father to a remarkable twelve-year-old daughter, Terry is still devoted to his beautiful Italian wife, a painter of immense talent, whose life ended abruptly during a brutal event that also took the life of their infant son. Sparked to action by violence and deception, he begins to understand that he's been given a chance to confront his tragic past by learning the skills of the PI trade, and finding the madman who forever changed his life. And, perhaps, to realize fully what it means to be the father of a young, loving daughter.
  
  But the person who took the life of the cab driver isn't so easy to find, and Terry must chase the killer into the upper reaches of Harlem. Beating back his own demons in both his therapist's office and the basketball courts of Houston Street, he finds that redemption can come in the form of a game of horse with the daughter who views him as a hero. So focused is he on the world's injustices, he can barely see the girl who will do anything for her hurting, tormented father.
  
  With brilliant characters and heartbreakingly raw emotions, Closing Time is a superb mystery from a writer to watch.

• A Well-Known Secret (2002)
  In A Well-Known Secret, the first novel to address the effects of September 11, private investigator Terry Orr's life is turned upside down while the city around him reels.
  
  Terry's latest case concerns Sonia Salgado, recently released after thirty years in prison for the robbery and murder of diamond dealer Asher Glatzer. When Terry discovers her battered body in an East Village halfway house, the ensuing investigation leads him back to the brutal city of the seventies, where seeds of deceit and corruption involving Salgado were first sown. Terry is soon at odds with an influential cop harboring family secrets; a smooth-talking Hispanic civic leader; and Julie Giada, the angel in the District Attorney's office. At the same time, Terry tries to do right by daughter Bella while grappling with the memories of his lost wife and son and a New York City that has been changed forever.

• Tribeca Blues (2003)
  Two unexpected - and unrelated - deaths lead private investigator Terry Orr to a catastrophic collision with the man responsible for the brutal death of his wife and son.
  
  The sudden death of an old friend sends Terry to Louisiana in search of the man's wife, who proves to be surprisingly resourceful and resistant. And when he learns of the death of the mother of the madman he believes killed his wife, the artist Marina Fiorentino, and their infant son Davy, Terry sees an opportunity to confront the psychotic former prodigy. In doing so, he learns a stunning truth about the woman he adored, and the true nature of his obsessions.

• Hard, Hard City (2004)
  Terry Orr, the enigmatic hero of "Hard, Hard City," is still tortured by the deaths of his wife and child in a horrific subway accident some six years ago. But as he emerges from the lure of his obsession, he's realized how much he loves his bright, precocious daughter Bella. When she and her friend Daniel Wu ask Terry to search for Allie Powell, a gifted Fashion Institute of Technology student who has suddenly disappeared, he can't refuse.

  Terry soon discovers that documents and cash have been stolen from the Upper East Side home of John McPorter, an elderly family friend with whom Allie had been staying. He begins to ask questions in the boy's hometown, affluent Silver Haven, New Jersey, and meets with unexpected violence. And thought the trail leads to murder, and he finds his own life is in danger, Terry relentlessly pursues the truth to help the teen who has been traumatized by the sins of his parents. And, perhaps, to win the admiration of a daughter he fears lost to him.

• The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (33 1/3) (2005)
  Pet Sounds is, rightly, one of the most celebrated pop albums ever released. It has also been written about, pored over, and analyzed more than most other albums put together. In this disarming book, Jim Fusilli focuses primarily on the emotional core of the album, on Brian Wilson’s pitch-perfect cry of despair. In doing so, he brings to life the search for equilibrium and acceptance that still gives Pet Sounds its heart almost four decades after its release.

See also:

• Dublin Noir: The Celtic Tiger vs. the Ugly American (2006), Ken Bruen, ed.
  Brand new stories by: Charlie Stella, Craig McDonald, Duane Swierczynski, Eoin Colfer, Gary Phillips, James O. Born, Jason Starr, Jim Fusilli, John Rickards, Ken Bruen, Kevin Wignall, Laura Lippman, Olen Steinhauer, Pat Mullan, Patrick J. Lambe, Peter Spiegelman, Ray Banks, Reed Farrel Coleman, Sarah Weinman, and others.
  
  Irish crime-fiction sensation Ken Bruen and cohorts shine a light on the dark streets of Dublin. Dublin Noir features an awe-inspiring cast of writers who between them have won all major mystery and crime-fiction awards. This collection introduces secret corners of a fascinating city and surprise assaults on the "Celtic Tiger" of modern Irish prosperity.

• t readers may find more familiar than Terry does." -- Jim Fusilli