{"product_id":"living-the-gimmick-paperback-1","title":"Living the Gimmick - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBobby Mathews\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen retired pro wrestler Alex Donovan sees his best friend, former world champion 'The Wild Child' Ray Wilder, gunned down in the street, he's drawn back into a world of spandex, spangles, and spotlights in order to find the killer. As Donovan digs deeper into Ray's life, he realizes that the list of people who wanted Ray dead seems endless.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBattling his aging, failing body, Donovan feels honor-bound to avenge Ray's death when no one else seems to care. His guilt over escaping the wrestling business to build a new life when Ray couldn't - or wouldn't - drives him to find the killer, no matter if it's friend or foe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eLiving the Gimmick\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e uses the backdrop of pro wrestling in the 1980s and its current climate to examine the strained bonds of a lifelong friendship and how an all-too-real abuser can exist without scrutiny in a showbiz world full of fake tough guys and choreographed fighting\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEarly Praise for \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eLiving the Gimmick\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eLIVING THE GIMMICK\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is a bruising romp about pro wrestling, friendship, betrayal, and the lies we let ourselves believe. Bobby Mathews' career as a journalist serves him well in his debut novel; the prose is punchy, the atmosphere pungent. Mathews depicts a world of scripted violence, of showmanship and pain, where the truth is hidden behind the glam and glitter.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003cstrong\u003eChris Swann\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/em\u003e bestseller, winner of \u003cem\u003eSouthern Living's Best Southern Books of 2017 Award\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Mathews's impressive debut murder mystery is as much a gritty homage to the excessive, violent, glam rock world of professional wrestling as it is a testimony of how it's evolved from its oftentimes ruthless heyday to the glitzy entertainment machine it is now. \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eLIVING THE GIMMICK\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is a headlock wrapped in noir sensibilities as it slams down a universal question: how much do we really know the ones we love and trust?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003cstrong\u003eHeather Levy\u003c\/strong\u003e, author \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWALKING THROUGH NEEDLES\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"​​High-class writing about hard-luck people. Timely, bold and brutal. Bobby is a writer to watch.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003cstrong\u003eLibby Cudmore\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTHE BIG REWIND\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"At times a wild and surreal trip through the subculture of old school pro wrestling and at other times a deft love letter to the passions that drive us all, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eLIVING THE GIMMICK\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is a rollicking good time. Bobby Mathews obviously loves three things: The South, pro wrestling, and a good mystery.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003cstrong\u003eS.A. Cosby\u003c\/strong\u003e, NY Times bestselling author of \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eRAZORBLADE TEARS\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Mathews writes in smooth, almost transparent strokes that propel the narrative along with such force, you'll read the entire novel in one sitting. The seedy world of wrestling and the badasses who populate it come alive on the page. Kayfabe? Hardly. This is as real and gritty as noir gets.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eHank Early\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eHEAVEN'S CROOKED LITTLE FINGER\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Mathews has written a glorious, noir-steeped homage to pro wrestling, all the more remarkable in its ardent fidelity. \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eLIVING THE GIMMICK\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e rocks hard.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-\u003cstrong\u003eLaird Barron\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBlood Standard\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 196\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.49 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 27, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42718478762047,"sku":"9781956957075","price":19.38,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/1246dcfa2c2df966b9e5a9df5ea49dd2.webp?v=1765082096","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/living-the-gimmick-paperback-1","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}