The Hurting Circus: Blood Red Turns Dollar Green, Vol. 3

The conclusion to O’Brien’s Blood Red Turns Dollar Green trilogy (after A Shoot) takes a deep dive into the treacherous, dynamic world of pro wrestling. It’s 1984, and Lenny Long has been in jail for 12 years for the murder of his former boss, Danno Garland. Now that he’s out, he just wants to get his family back and lead a quiet life. It’s not to be, though, because he’s the boss of pro wrestling’s long dormant New York territory, which other wrestling bosses want to muscle in on. He needs a champ to make New York something again, but to Lenny’s horror, the local championship title has been transferred to his oldest son, Luke (aka Kid Devine). Lenny must get the wrestlers he needs to succeed at the business, without getting offed by his foes in the process. To the victor goes the spoils, and enough sweat, blood, and tears can lead to unbelievable glory, but power comes at a price. O’Brien’s whip-smart prose brings the fascinating, often funny world of pro wrestling to glorious life and imbues its players with surprisingly delicate humanity. (May)