"With his third fictional effort, Levison revisits the same “the harder I work, the behinder I get” ethos he undertook in his well-received memoir “A Working Stiff’s Manifesto”...This latest work, with its spot on dialogue and lovable, screwball characters, may very well be the perfect recessionary read—it will get your hackles up, offer a little righteous indignation and keep you laughing through the next payday (provided there is one)."—San Diego Union Tribune "[Levison] delivers a ticklish novel . . . With a nose for half-baked dreams and a keen ear for how man-children talk and “think,” Levison offers an honest and humorous romp through lower-middle class frustration."—Publishers Weekly "Once again plumbing the depths of working-class desperation, Levison strikes a more plaintive chord than ever. That's not to say there isn't plenty of humor in his gruff caper, but he punctuates the laughs with just the right hint of sadness...A lean crime story and a stark alternative to glossier capers"—Kirkus Reviews | "Levison keeps the tone light and the plot refreshingly realistic for a crime caper. Far from the high-tech secret agents of popular spy novels, these below-average Joes are continually tripped up by the sort of security devices and logistical issues that most of the rest of us wouldn’t see coming, either—even if we weren’t stoned. It’s a fun escape for anyone struggling with career options in the endlessly tanking economy. "—Sacramento News & Review "Given the current economic "downturn" (that's political speak for disaster, by the way), his latest novel about three friends who escalate their misadventures from petty larceny to full-blown armed assault may ring a little more true than most readers might like...The book is funny, but it's terribly sad, too, as Levison captures the frustration, anger and resentment that lead decent guys to a life of crime."—Bookslut "Levison is a sly storyteller who creates believable slackers, lost souls who are still essentially adolescents, just beginning to wonder how they became disposable in corporatized America...How to Rob an Armored Car is by turns funny, sad, and insightful."—Booklist |
