Staff Pick
The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To may cause extensive high-school flashbacks. With pitch-perfect prose, Pierson captures the essence of what it feels like to be a teenager. Recommended By Mary Jo S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Driving home after being kicked out of college, Tucker meets and picks up the mysterious Corinne Chang at a rest stop. Infatuated, and with nothing better to do, he ends up with her in St. Louis, where he gets a job as a chef in a Chinese restaurant. Even though hes a
gwai lo—a foreign devil—his cooking skills impress the Chinese patrons of the restaurant, and his wooing skills impress Corinne when she joins him there as a waitress. But when Chinese gangsters show up demanding diamonds they believe Tuckers kind-of, sort-of, dont-call-her-a-girlfriend stole, he and his friends—which luckily include a couple of FBI agents—have to figure out just who is gunning for Corinne and how to stop them. Good thing Tucker is a Mandarin-speaking martial arts master who isnt afraid to throw the first punch.
With its one-of-a-kind hero, Chinese Cooking for Diamond Thieves is perfect for anyone who loves cooking, Chinese culture, bad jokes, and young love. Diamonds are forever . . . unless Chinese mobsters decide they want them back.
Review
"Funny as hell. . . . The ribald humor of a Judd Apatow movie married to a science-fiction-fantasy spectacle." Kirkus
Review
"A witty coming-of-age novel. . . . In Darren and Eric, Pierson has created two engaging and memorable co-conspirators and co-protagonists." Booklist
Review
"Charmingly honest and honestly funny. Nails what it's like to be a geeky teenage male, right down to the Agtranian Berserkers." Max Barry, author of Company
Review
"Awesome stuff: great jokes, shocking twists, cyborgs. There's even some sex. It's fast-paced and funny and you should definitely check it out." Simon Rich, author of Free-Range Chickens
Synopsis
A wildly original and hilarious debut novel about the unintended consequences of big imaginations.
When Darren Bennett meets Eric Lederer, there's an instant connection. They share a love of drawing, the bottom rung on the cruel high school social ladder, and a pathological fear of girls. Soon they're collaborating on a comic book that becomes a series of graphic novels that becomes a movie trilogy before they've actually put pen to paper. Then Eric reveals a secret: He doesn't sleep. Ever. When word leaks out about Eric's condition, he and Darren suddenly find themselves on the run from mysterious forces. Is it the government trying to tap into Eric's mind, or is there something else Eric hasn't told Darren? It could be that not sleeping is only part of what he's capable of, and the truth is both better and worse than they could ever imagine.
Brilliant in its scope and written in a sweet and utterly contemporary voice, DC Pierson's debut will leave you rolling with laughter and running from things you thought only existed in your mind.
Synopsis
Pierson presents this wildly original and hilarious debut novel about the unintended consequences of big imaginations.
Synopsis
A rollicking debut novel about a young man who gets kicked out of college, becomes a Chinese restaurant chef, and inadvertently gets in the middle of a Chinese gang's search for their stolen diamonds.
About the Author
DC Pierson was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. He graduated from NYU's Dramatic Writing Department in 2007 with a degree in writing for television. His comedy group DERRICK made a feature film called "Mystery Team." He publishes short stories and unsolicited opinions on his website, dcpierson.com. This is his first novel.
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by D. C. Pierson