Martin Anderson has a racehorse, a deep-sea fishing boat, a vacation home in Tahoe, and a Caddy in the garage. But his life is in freefall. It’s the 1970s, and with the arrival of the oil crisis and gas rationing, his small aircraft business is tanking, as is his extravagant suburban lifestyle. Martin keeps many secrets from his wife, such as his mounting debt and his penchant for sneaking into neighborhood homes and making off with small keepsakes. So when he’s given the opportunity to clear his debt by using one of his planes to make a few drug runs between California and Mexico, Martin doesn’t think twice . . . or at all, for that matter.
Things quickly spiral out of control when Martin’s simple plan lands him in the midst of gun-toting Mexican thugs. After a narcotics agent arrives on his doorstep, he becomes increasingly paranoid, both about the police and about his associates in the drug world—a feeling that seems justified when he stumbles upon the scene of a brutal double murder. Martin wants out, but he wants his money, too.
Deeply funny and suspenseful, David Anthony’s novel is a perfect snapshot of the excesses of American culture.
Praise for Something for Nothing:
“[A] clever and surprisingly heartfelt debut… The parallels Anthony draws between the 1974 economic crisis and our own are successful precisely because they’re not overt, just like his depiction of Martin as an antihero succeeds because his ridiculous antics are laced with a yearning to belong that’s so intense it borders on deranged innocence, rendering him the most lovable drug smuggler in ages.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“David Anthony’s novel Something for Nothing reminds me of Richard Ford’s early work: Martin Anderson, it’s airplane dealing, drug muling, neighbor’s wife coveting, reluctant family-man protagonist is both brutal and eloquent, his rise and fall (and rise again?) all the more moving because he’s aware that he’s to blame for his tale of woe, even if he’s slow to accept the blame. The book is set during the Nixon era gas crisis, but the parallels between that time and ours are obvious, and compelling; as this terrific cautionary tale makes clear, Martin Anderson’s bad decisions might have been ours, might still be ours.”—Brock Clarke, author of Exley and An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England
“Funny, sly, gritty and hugely entertaining, Something for Nothing is quite an accomplishment, kind of James Lee Burke crossed with John Cheever, but utterly sharp and distinctive in its own right. This is a fantastic, big-time book.”— Martin Clark, author of The Many Aspects of Mobile Home Living and The Legal Limit
“Insightful and wickedly funny, Something for Nothing tells the story of a nefarious charmer caught up in the excesses of his American Dream. David Anthony has crafted a whip smart debut, what is certain to be a word-of-mouth sensation. This is a book for our times.”—Amy MacKinnon, author of Tethered
“Something for Nothing is a terrific debut novel–meticulously detailed, fluent, and even wise. Make room on your bookshelves for David Anthony.” —Thomas Perry, author of Strip
