The Ring Walk

The Ring Walk is a muscular historical novel about the mob, a spectacular theft, a boy coming of age in Philadelphia in the 1970's, and Andre the Giant. When Flex Italiano and his charming hustler of a father show a little moxie and get involved in a scheme to steal a priceless ancient vase, they get drawn into a world of gangsters, con men, and carnies. Through his father's job with the state athletic commission, Flex meets some of the his television idols, including the legendary champion Bruno Sammartino and the iconic Andre the Giant. He also explores Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood, the Spectrum, and the pain and pinfalls that happen to every teenage boy. Fans of "Red Green Turns Dollar Blue" and "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity," the novels of Dennis Lehane will love this new book by Simen Oem, author of "The Kingdom of Wondering" and "More Than Liquid."